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Michelle, Our Belle, To Hit D.C. In Style

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Trend spotters continue to give Michelle Obama high marks, with only a few minor misses so far.

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By CLOE CABRERA | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2009

TAMPA - The country's style-watchers haven't been this excited about having a fashionista first lady since Jacqueline Kennedy moved into the White House in 1961.

And rightly so. Sure, Nancy Reagan rocked her red suits - and loved pricey designer duds from the likes of Bill Blass and Carolina Herrera. But most of our more recent first ladies have been a bit clumsy when it comes to couture.

Laura Bush dresses like the public school teacher and librarian she once was. Pretty and practical, but ... yawn.

First mom Barbara Bush was similarly sensible in her boxy knit suits - and oh-so-matronly.

And Hillary Clinton is famous for her fashion faux pas, particularly her not-exactly-flattering pantsuits.

But Michelle Obama? Oh, the possibilities!

Trend spotters continue to give Obama high marks, with only a few minor misses so far. Her simple and elegant sheath dresses, smart suits and vintage brooches already have fashion experts comparing her to the late Jackie O.

Vanity Fair put Obama, a Princeton- and Harvard-educated lawyer, on its International Best-Dressed list twice, noting her "independent and strong and distinct fashion sense." And it's rumored she may soon land on Vogue magazine's coveted cover. (Former first lady Hillary Clinton appeared there in 1998. NOT in a suit.)

There's even a Web site, www.mrs-o.org, that chronicles Obama's every wardrobe change.

"It's rare to have a woman in that position who feels and looks like a real person," says designer Sigrid Olsen. "She's modern-looking, she's fit, and she seems to be able to wear clothes with a sense of style. Women these days are looking for a way to dress appropriately and tastefully and not look frumpy. She's able to do that, and she just looks like she is very comfortable in her own skin."

Most first ladies have been pretty old school, with the exception of Kennedy, Olsen says. "They've worn very conservative, traditional clothing. Obama shows you can be classic and tasteful without having to be too conservative and still make a statement. She represents most women's idea of what fashion is."

It's exciting to see this kind of interest being paid to the next first lady's fashion sense, says Felix Mercado, 35, a celebrity fashion stylist and president of www.sayitwith-style.com.

"The fact she likes to dress won't diminish her role," he says. "She's going to have a big influence on the fashion scene. She wears designer labels, but she also shops at department stores. She was doing the recessionista thing before we went into a recession."

Obama, a 44-year-old mother of two girls, works out regularly and often shows off her toned arms in sleeveless dresses. She wears bold prints and patterns in styles that accentuate her curvy 5-foot-11-inch frame.

And let's not forget the bare legs. Obama says she doesn't wear pantyhose because they are "uncomfortable."

She also is into accessorizing. She'll clip a whimsical brooch to the neckline of a dress, sport a gum ball-sized pearl necklace and cinch her waist with a skinny studded belt.

And in an economy that encourages frugality, women are happy to see she chooses to wear up-and-coming designers such as Thakoon and Chicago's Maria Pinto, and shops at - gasp! - Target.

When Obama wore a $148 leaf-print dress this year on "The View," the Donna Ricco creation quickly sold out at White House/Black Market stores.

And when she visited "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" she proudly announced she purchased her outfit online from J. Crew.

"She's really tapped into the fashion mood of the moment, which is all about mixing high-end with lower prices," says Jacqui Stafford, executive style editor of Shape magazine. "She proves you can look stylish dressing in pieces from across every breadth of the fashion spectrum. And as a political statement, she's telling women, 'Look, I'm just like you.'"

That isn't to say Obama hasn't made a misstep. The red and black Narciso Rodriguez dress she wore on election night ruffled lots of fashionable feathers. Critics - and there were many - went wild offering up opinions on the dress. "Disastrous frock!" they sniped, and compared it to a "lava lamp look" and a Halloween costume.

Nonetheless, Obama is in control over whom and what she wears. She says she doesn't use a personal stylist - something most women find appealing.

At a More magazine shoot earlier this year, Obama turned down the chance to wear the designer threads provided by the magazine. Instead, she opted to wear her own Maria Pinto fuchsia sheath.

"I think it's refreshing," Stafford says. "Here's a woman who can have any top stylist put her wardrobe together, yet she wants to do it herself. She obviously has a strong sense of style and isn't going to wear what other people want to see her in."

More editor Lesley Jane Seymour wrote: "Obama drives her own fashion train, which is impressive. She has a look and style that she cultivates carefully and is not going to let anyone, including fashion editors from New York, tell her what to do; In a world where most personal style is relentlessly boring and uninspiring ... it's refreshing, if not always convenient, to see Obama cutting her own cloth."

Obama has said she's trying to get used to all the fuss over her frocks. "It's hard," she told ABC News. "I'm kind of a tomboy jock at heart, but I like to look nice."

Still, as she gets ready to plant her kitten heels on the White House lawn, some style pundits want to see her step up her game.

"There's so much more she can do," Mercado says. "She's going to be first lady; she has to represent. Dresses and suits are easy. When you pair separates, that's when it gets really interesting. You can really see someone's sense of style in the way they put pieces together."

Mercado says Obama should lose the ballerina flats and stick with heels. "She should never do anything lower than a kitten heel. She's tall, and she needs to own her height."

And she should forgo the 3/4-inch sleeves, he advises. "They stop at her hips, where's she is widest. She'd look great in cap sleeves."

Still, Mercado thinks Obama is on her way to being a formidable first lady of style.

"Barack Obama isn't the only one who's going to bring change," he said. "She's going to usher in a fresh era of fashion, as well."

We asked three local design students to sketch an inaugural dress for the future first lady. Go to TBO.com: keyword Obama Style and cast a vote for your favorite. While you're there, tell us which of her past looks were fab and which were drab.

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656.

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