FASHION CAMPAIGN - Bing, bing, bing......I think we have a Winner!

[FrenchieCat]

There are sooo many articles on Michelle Obama in the Style Mags, ect..., I didn't know where to start. Here are just a few!

Fashion Campaign

Michelle Obama's Chicago designer
makes a bid for national recognition

By SHELLY BRANCH
June 21, 2008; Page W1

CHICAGO -- Election-year pundits have analyzed everything about Michelle Obama, from the size of her pearls to her newly hired chief of staff. But few have taken much note of the person responsible for one of her most formidable campaign tools: her wardrobe.


The designer behind much of Mrs. Obama's public attire is an effusive 51-year-old Chicago native, Maria Pinto. A clothing resource to prominent local women including Oprah Winfrey, she was relatively unknown outside Chicago until 16 months ago, when Mrs. Obama began appearing on the campaign trail in Ms. Pinto's streamlined pieces.



Maria Pinto (left) and Mrs. Obama, at an opening party for Sepia Restaurant in Chicago on June 21, 2007.


Pictured: Sen. and Mrs. Obama chatting with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
This encounter later appeared in Vogue magazine's coverage of the gala.


At a Feb. 3 rally at UCLA, Mrs. Obama sported Ms. Pinto's khakis and crisp white top.


Newsweek's Feb. 25 issue put Mrs. Obama -- and Ms. Pinto's silk faille dress -- on the cover.

Should the Obamas win the White House, Ms. Pinto stands to gain international recognition overnight. Designer Oleg Cassini vaulted to prominence soon after his famous client, Jacqueline Kennedy, moved to the White House in 1961. Like the much-copied Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Obama has already shown an ability to influence fashion sales. The $148 black-and-white dress she wore Wednesday morning on "The View" had sold out at stores by Thursday, according to White House/Black Market, the Chico's FAS-owned clothing chain that created it.
http://update2.wsj.com/article/SB121400121295793087.html?mod=todays_us_nonsub_weekendjournal

Heavyweights of Fashion Toast Michelle Obama

Go here for Video footage of Reporters fawning over michelle “O”. http://www.theinsider.com/news/976989_Heavyweights_of_Fashion_Toast_Michelle_Obama

Michelle Obama: Fashion's New Darling?

Appearance on 'The View' has women clamoring for her dress.

By CHERYL LU-LIEN TAN
June 19, 2008

The fashion world appears to have a new darling. Immediately after Michelle Obama mentioned on "The View" yesterday that she bought her striking sundress at White House/Black Market, women started pouring into the retail chain's stores, clamoring for the $148 dress.
http://update2.wsj.com/article/SB121389326494088867.html?mod=Politics-and-Policy

Fashion experts: Michelle has winning style

06/22/2008 01:00 AM EDT
By GUY TREBAY
The New York Times
When Obama and his wife triumphantly took the stage in St. Paul , Minn., to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, the candidate, dressed in one of the crisp, neutral suits that have made him a GQ darling, was momentarily upstaged by his wife, and not just because she knuckle-bumped him in front of the world.
What grabbed the eye was the sleeveless purple silk crepe sheath made for Michelle Obama by Maria Pinto, the former Geoffrey Beene assistant who has long been a Michelle Obama favorite. Simple in silhouette and, at about $900 retail, not the kind of garment most working-class voters can reasonably aspire to, the dress was immediately subject to water cooler dissection.

http://www.projo.com/lifebeat/content/lb_michelle_obama_style_06-22-08_HRAEC0P_v9.1f9ec42.html

The New York Times Fashion and Style section 1. weighed in recently on the clothes that make the woman, favorably comparing the bouffant pageboy and sleek, '60s-inspired shifts to that fabled paragon of all that is good and stylish and thin about America, Jackie Kennedy herself. But Jackie Kennedy with soul, explains Vogue guru André Leon Talley, in the delightfully frank and reductive language of high fashion: "A black Camelot moment is the right moment for the Obamas. And so the faux pearls, the A-line dresses, and the Jackie Kennedy flip are obviously all part of how her image strategy has evolved."
http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/06/11/michelle_obama/

When It Comes to Style, Michelle Obama Holds Her Own

Rumor has it André Leon Talley is just dying to get his hands on Michelle Obama. The New York Post reports he wants to style her...
<>
But our initial research on Mrs. Obama's fashion tastes reveals she's not the type to be led astray from her own preferences. At the Nordstrom and Vogue cocktail party for New Yorkers for Children last night Thakoon Panichgul said Obama bought a beige silk suit with black embroidery from his store in Chicago. He had also just come from the party Vogue threw for her with Calvin Klein where he scoped out her party duds in person. "She showed up wearing a Tom Binns necklace tonight that she bought herself," he told us. "She's always wearing something unexpected and completely appropriate." And unlike Hillary Clinton, the Bush ladies, and Cindy McCain, Obama isn't on a first-name basis with Oscar de la Renta — yet. "I have never met her personally," he told us. Way to stay off the bandwagon, Michelle. — Alisa Gould-Simon
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/06/when_it_comes_to_style_michell.html

Everyone Wants to Dress Michelle Obama

You probably knew that deep down inside somewhere, but today we have proof those gut feelings are correct. As it turns out, André Leon Talley isn't the only one hoping to wrap his styling talons around Michelle Obama — all the famous designers in New York are, too! Okay, so they don't come right out and say it, but it's so obvious.

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/06/everyone_wants_to_dress_michel.html?mid=daily-fashion--yahoo-buzz

NBC's Lee Cowan: Michelle Obama Dresses 'As Brightly As Her Husband's Smile'
Go here for video report - http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2008/06/19/nbcs-lee-cowan-michelle-obama-dresses-brightly-her-husbands-smile

America's new Jackie O is called Michelle

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTvb2LusV4T38bXKfuBVqcsHBHxQ

Michelle Obama's Impeccable Style

http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/06/michelle_obama_style.php

June 20, 2008, 4:08PM

FASHION | POLITICS
Michelle Obama's dress has buyers lining up
By MAGGIE GALEHOUSE

Should we call her Michelle O?

Just two days after Michelle Obama wore a smart black-and-white sundress on The View, women across the country are scurrying to White House/Black Market to get one for themselves.
Houston women are no exception.
''In the last few days we've sold probably about 12 — which is a lot,'' said Kathy Wajeeh, a sales associate for White House/Black Market in the Galleria. As of Friday morning, the Galleria store had only two of the $148 dresses left.
http://www.chron.com/disp/commnts.mpl/headline/features/5848651.html

The Party Faithful: Fashion Celebrates Michelle Obama

Three page story - http://www.wwd.com/issue/article/125855

[FrenchieCat]

1. oh, but there's so much more in print!

Michelle is simply the toast of the town.....

Too bad for Cindy and her leather outfits. :(

Maybe that's what Obama was talking about when he said, "don't mess with my wife".

[Barack_America]

7. I know that I harp on Cindy McCain's leather blazers too much.

I actually did a google search the other day on "Cindy McCain leather blazer" and a bunch of my snarky DU posts popped up. :blush:

But, here's the thing, she comes across so stiff and cold as it is, but those blazers just add an order of magnitude to that stiffness! I swear, when she moves in those things, she must creak! Why would you do that to yourself? :rofl:

[FrenchieCat]

13. All she needs is a whip!

and she likes to show cleavage. Quite a lot, in fact.

[Barack_America]

17. That french twist/instant facelift she wears is so tight, that if those bobby pins were to go...

She'd have her whip right there.

And, yes, that's quite a bit of cleavage there. Interesting that the criticism has centered around Michelle and her *gasp* bare arms.

[Dulcinea]

48. Cindy McCain reminds me of a Barbie doll.

To me she just looks plastic & fake. Michelle Obama, on the other hand, looks like a real person! And I like her clothing style: simple, clean lines, nothing fussy. That's the way I dress!

[blondeatlast]

52. ...

:spray: :rofl:

[gateley]

67. That's funny --

and next time you Google it, THIS one will be added to the list!

[Pirate Smile]

26. You didn't include a pic of this dress - you had too much to choose from but I love this one and it

was in the WSJ slide show.

[FrenchieCat]

38. Yes, that one is lovely!

[roguevalley]

53. that black outfit is fabulous because she carries herself like a queen

so elegant and young and kicky. I love her.

[Barack_America]

2. The dress she wore on Stephen Colbert...

(second from the bottom)

I was in the audience there and she actually took my breath away when she walked out. She is at least 10-times more beautiful in person. She has a presence.

And I was such a silly girl that I went and bought a new outfit, just in case I got to meet her (if you recall, the campaign was kind enough to get me a back-stage pass). When I went to store to buy something, I explained the situation to the clerk. All I had to say was "Michelle Obama" and she responded "Oh", and proceeded to spend the next hour helping me select something "Michelle worthy". She totally understood.

It's a girl thing.

[FrenchieCat]

6. Great story!

I'm loving how she's wooing everyone she meets.

Some pundit was saying how the women of Iowa fell in love with her.

Guess that Cindy won't realize what Blowback is till it hits her.

LOL!

[Cha]

50. You were in the audience! How

sweet is that! So what did you wear, Kristi?

[galledgoblin]

3. $148 for a dress?

bit pricey for me, but still affordable enough that I would consider it!

[blogslut]

10. psst

Here's a similar dress for a totally affordable price:



You can get it here: http://15dollarstore.com

[renate]

49. SQUEE!

That site is now bookmarked! Thank you!

They even have kids' clothes--awesome!

:woohoo:

[blogslut]

65. I've gotten several items from them

Always good quality. Never had a problem. It is awesome. :)

[psychmommy]

59. thank you. i have a new store now.

[blogslut]

66. Happy to help

:hi:

[FrenchieCat]

12. That is considered generally affordable for a nice dress.

and it was very nice! the Brouch gave it real pizzazz.

[galledgoblin]

19. oh, definitely

it's just too pricey for a student who usually goes the thrift-shop route. ;)

[FrenchieCat]

23. True dat......

Got to be at the job for a while.

But the Thrift stores have nice items a lot of the time. I've done my share of shopping there.....mainly out of choice of wanting to be unique and different. Berkeley and SF has some nice ones. :)

[TahitiNut]

4. She's da bomb.

Hell... she makes clothes look good. She could wear overalls and a t-shirt and it'd look good. She's assertive and has her feet on the ground ... and claims her space. She's "present" ... and that's hugely attractive.

[Binka]

61. What A Perfect Thing To Say Mike

When ANYONE is present it is such an attractive thing. I find most people are so vapid even if they have physical attributes they just seem invisible. Being sure of one's self and emanating true energy is so damn beautiful. Both Barack and Michelle have IT. You do too Nut even on the internet I get the real sense of who you are.

I got it from this one post you made years ago when you were speaking of Chris and you said (I paraphrase) "I could never think of her as my wife, she was always Chris."

You are a gem. Please come back to California. We are destined to be a team!:loveya:

[blogslut]

5. I dig her style

Clean lines. None of that obnoxious decoration that repub wives seem to favor.

Just, whatever you do, Michelle, stay the hell away from André Leon Talley! Than man has lost his eye for fashion.

[FrenchieCat]

9. That's what one of those articles was saying......

He's into turbans or something.

Does he get paid for his styling?....cause I'm hiding my money!

[blogslut]

11. He used to be wicked good in the 80's and early 90's

He's lost it now.

[mamalone]

25. ok, that pink snakeskin thing is just..... icky....

Run Michelle.... run fast!

[libnnc]

8. Michelle Obama is one of the top 5 most striking women I've ever seen.

Seriously

She'd be stunning in a burlap sack.

[NYC_SKP]

14. Not since Jackie Kennedy........

I didn't think I'd live to see it.

[FrenchieCat]

22. Will be waiting by the TeeVee to get a glimpse.......

that hasn't happened to me ever! Too young to remember Jackie in the WH. I was in France being little then.

[Hekate]

35. Exactly--crisp, streamlined, unfussy, excellent eye for what colors flatter her...

I think she comes by this naturally, and ended up with the stylist who could provide what she already knows will work for her.

Poor Laura Bush. Granted that Michelle Obama, like Jackie Kennedy before her, is young, slender, and well-toned, and Laura is -- well, middle aged -- but Laura Bush does not seem to have that natural flair for knowing what looks good on her. With all her money she could have found a way to make herself really attractive in her clothes, and sadly, mostly she just looks dumpy.

I try to stay away from criticizing the fashion sense of public figures, but I have to admit that Michelle Obama is a treat for the eyes.

Hekate

[SoCalDem]

57. If you have style, you can wear anything and look great

Michelle has "it"...just like Jackie had "it"

[Catherina]

15. What a treat it's going to be to have her as First Lady n/t

[Tatiana]

16. I love her style. And she's got those long legs and stunning figure.

She would look good in just about anything.

Glad to see Michelle getting some props! They are well-deserved.

:toast:

[FrenchieCat]

21. At 5 foot 11, you'd see why all of the stylists would be wanted to

dress her.

[Catherine Vincent]

18. Dang, she's tall.

Look how much taller she is next to the View ladies. How tall is she?

[Eurobabe]

20. She's 5'11, she could have been a model

Her carriage, her style -- add that to her smarts = dynamite package.

She's got it all. :applause:

[stevedeshazer]

24. Whoo-Hoo! Give me some more of that

:swoon:

[FrenchieCat]

27. One of the articles points out......some interesting facts.....

Michelle Obama had 25,245 supporters on Facebook as of Friday morning -- 24,843 more than Cindy McCain's 402.

One of Obama's Facebook supporters is actress Hillary Ward, of California.

"I like her outspokenness, I like the fact she's a good mother, I like the work she and Barack have done in Chicago's tough neighborhoods," Ward told AFP.

"And I like the fact that she's human, not a robotic Stepford wife," she said, referring to the 1970s movie in which suburban housewives are turned into robots to serve their husbands' needs.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hTvb2LusV4T38bXKfuBVqcsHBHxQ

[mamalone]

28. She really does have it all goin on...

Those very simple dresses with the "good lines"(as my fashion maven mother says) are just perfect. You can't fake those- they are the mark of an excellent designer, and by extension, her excellent taste!

What a breath of fresh air the Obama's are going to be:D

[darkmaestro019]

29. (facepalm at the huge pearls)

I know, it's a Jackie O thing, but it always looks so Frank N. Furter to me.....

[FrenchieCat]

36. I like them, because she can pull them off.

She is not a small lady, and she can wear big jewelery well.

Did you see this one from her gala fundraiser with the fashion world?


wearing a Tom Binns Bling Bling.

One of the article read....
I was in heaven when I saw that Michelle Obama chose to wear Isabel Toledo the other night to the Obama benefit hosted by Anna Wintour and Calvin Klein... Thanks to my friend Ikram, whose fabulous Chicago store (of the same name) is one of Obama's favorite spots, Michelle was not only decked out in Isabel Toledo but was wearing a Tom Binns necklace as well. I mean, how hot is that?

I really think Michelle needs to head over to Isaac Mizrahi and grab that simple, chic, red sequinned gown from his last show for one of her inaugural looks (see above). I also bet she would look amazing in Mizrahi's new line for Liz Claiborne. She's really is looking more and more gorgeous as the days pass. She can do WONDERS for American fashion, from high to mass. We are talking rock star here. The frenzy is just beginning. She looks amazing in Isabel Toledo but you can see her looking amazing (and comfy) in a Go International dress from Target?! I can just imagine President Obama's first official trip to Europe and can you imagine Paris? He will have to borrow JFK's line about being the "husband of Jackie Kennedy." It's all very exciting.
http://www.papermag.com/blogs/2008/06/michelle_obama_style.php

These fashion folks talk like they have died and gone to heaven!

[Vinca]

68. The black dress is especially gorgeous.

She's a designer's dream.

[Raine]

30. She's so GORGEOUS and so CLASSY

I can't wait till she's our First Lady, she going to do this country PROUD!!! :bounce:

[Forkboy]

31. I think she looks great...but I also think Ogre from Skinny Puppy has it goin' on.

So what the hell do I know? :P

[dmr]

32. Michelle is beautiful & doesn't PANCAKE her make-up like Cindy

I just did a Google image search of Cindy, and what struck me is how she looks like those typical aging, icy ladies on the society pages who over-do it with pancake make-up, and color their hair to maintain the platinum-swept-back-hair look.

By no means is Cindy McCain bad looking, and if she looked more natural she might even be beautiful. But, yell at me if you want for saying this: but Cindy exudes the generalized look of a white, Protestant, phony, rich, elite society-page lady.

Michelle is a natural beauty. She looks like a model. Her figure, neck-line, legs, mannerism, facial features - everything, is beautiful.

And she wears MINIMAL make-up!

[FloridaJudy]

34. And Ms. Obama's face is animated

She doesn't have that scary botox thing going. I still can't believe that people actually pay to have their facial muscles paralyzed by one of the worlds deadliest poisons.

[Cali_Democrat]

33. That woman has got some serious style goin on

[dkf]

37. Here's what the NYPost had to say...

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06052008/entertainment/fashion/fashion_first_114025.htm

BOTH are modern. Both comport themselves with such confidence that they are often described as "regal." Both are, as they say, dressing not for the job that they have, but the job that they want: first lady of the United States.

It's antiquated nomenclature, to be sure - Jackie Kennedy famously said that the title made her sound "like a racehorse" - but Michelle Obama, 44, and Cindy McCain, 53, are doing their best to push the image of the first lady forward.

...

Cindy McCain favors high-end designers - Escada, Carolina Herrera - but in some ways, she dresses younger than her Democratic counterpart: She has a collection of fitted leather blazers and laser-cut suits, and wears her hair in loose buns and age-appropriate waves.

For a recent ceremony at the White House, McCain chose a simple tweed suit - also modernized with a thin leather belt - that Yalof Schwarz characterizes as "very fashion magazine editor-in-chief, very corner office." That said, the white-blond hair and the dramatic makeup "remind me of Krystle Carrington on 'Dynasty,'" she says, laughing.

Indeed: McCain also has a collection of patriotic diamond brooches ("Navy," "USMC") and wears enough eyeliner and red lipstick that her husband once snapped, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop!" when she teased him about his thinning hair.

[FrenchieCat]

39. her husband once snapped, "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop!"

:wow:

[tblue37]

44. Notice that they left out the last part of the McCain quote. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

55. I didn't realize that was the time he called her a c*nt until someone

provided me with another article that finished his sentence.

Guess the McCains are being given cover. What else is new? :shrug:

[FrenchieCat]

40. That articles goes on to read......

Cindy McCain is the heiress to a beer fortune, a former rodeo queen who casually told Vogue that her summer beach house has become so overrun with her grown children and their friends that "I bought another one." :wow:

[dkf]

42. Yeah, I think a lot of women can relate to Cindy McCain. NOT.

[FrenchieCat]

41. lastly....

the article goes on.....

"I think they both make the perfect political accessory," she says - a sentiment Michelle Obama (who, it should be noted, made Vanity Fair's International Best-Dressed list last year) may take issue with. "I'm a big fan of accessories," she has said. "I'm married to one."

[JI7]

43. can you imagine the competition among designers for her Inaugural outfits

[Rosa Luxemburg]

45. Fabulous First Lady!

[DevonRex]

46. I'm so jealous of black women...

Just look at her beautiful legs. She doesn't have to wear stockings. Just look at the beautiful color of her arms in that sun dress and the sleaveless tops.

She only wears a minimum amount of makeup because her skin is so pretty and healthy. She just glows.

She is absolutely gorgeous. No wonder every designer on earth wants to dress her. She's long and sleek. She has an effortless grace. And she has a commanding presence. Have you noticed that whenever there's a picture of her in a group of people, your eyes always go to her?

There's only 1 other person that does that for me, and that's Johnny Depp. Okay, there may be other reasons for that. :evilgrin:

I wonder if black women know that white women are jealous of their beautiful skin tones. And how much money we pay to achieve some color in the spring and summer. We either risk skin cancer with tanning or we buy goop that is *supposed* to darken our skin to a natural looking tan.

Oh well.

[ThatsMyBarack]

47. Michelle looks MAAAHHvelous!

:applause: :loveya:

[Quixote1818]

51. She is really starting to grow on me as I get to know her nt

[democrattotheend]

54. I love the purple dress

That she wore in Minnesota the night Obama clinched the nomination. I totally want that dress!

[DeepModem Mom]

56. K&R!

[otohara]

58. Classy, Gorgeous

thanks for the tour de Michele.

[eleny]

60. Looks like we could use a Michelle Obama Group here at DU!

[Tutonic]

62. Michelle!! Stay away from André Leon Talley !

He designed Jennifer Hudson's career ending bolero jacket for the Academy Awards honey! And we all know what alley Ms. Hudson has been living in since.

[FrenchieCat]

64. I think she's already opted out!

LOL!

[AZBlue]

63. She's a beautiful woman from the inside out and it shows.

Sure, she wears beautiful clothing, but a pretty dress on someone who isn't as pretty on the inside isn't the same. She holds herself with poise and confidence and radiates all the great qualities that make her who she is.

I have to say I love it when a woman in a position like hers gives a "legs-up" to an unknown designer. I'm a follower of fashion myself and think it's fantastic when a struggling undiscovered artist gets a boost from something like this.

BTW...based on the photo above with Michelle, Maria Pinto needs to also share her beauty secrets! She's 51 years old!? More like 31 if I'd had to guess!!

[windoe]

69. Inner and outer beauty

is a powerful combination, her level of consciousness, grace and obvious compassion will make her a First Lady to make us all proud.

[MonkeyFunk]

70. She's got a great body for fashion

long and lean. She's almost 5'11".