Does Michelle's Inaugural Gown have cotton balls stuck all over it?

[KittyWampus]

Every tv channel I've flipped to, that's what it looks like.

I'm glad Michelle seems to enjoy picking stuff out she likes for herself. But she should seek out advice for which of her favorites will look good on tv.

Not everything looks the same on tv as it does in person or the runway.

There are professional tv production people who specialize in knowing what works and for whom.

Edit-here's a photo which shows a bit more definition to the "puffs". Now I'm thinking the old chenille bedspreads I cut apart for dressing my primitive angel dolls.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Dressing for television is a whole different ballgame. nt

[polichick]

2. Just tuned in - did she wear the same gown to the first two balls?

[KittyWampus]

3. Same one.

[polichick]

4. Thanks! I don't want to miss a thing.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

5. I think she looks beautiful.

Somehow I think people would have found ANYTHING to point at no matter what she wore.

[KittyWampus]

6. I love fashion but not everything translates well to tv.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

8. True but I don't think TV should be important.

Its a celebration. She would look good in a burlap sack.

[KittyWampus]

13. She really is lovely inside and out. Even her arms...

[renate]

9. I think that's the problem with that dress

It looks blindingly white on TV and the details are all washed out. And even in the picture, where you can see the details, the material doesn't look like anything special--I was hoping for duchesse satin or something tastefully sparkly, but this just looks kind of musliny. I'm sure it's lovely and ethereal in real life.

[Vattel]

47. at least it doesn't look muslimly

[Raine]

19. She does look BEAUTIFUL but

no thanks to the dress it doesn't do her justice.

[madaboutharry]

7. I love this dress.

I think she looks great.

[housewolf]

10. Yeah... it doesn't work so well for tv

It might be gorgeous in person, but loses something on tv

[Sannum]

11. Beaded chiffon flowers.

The dress probably took weeks to complete and though she probably didn't need to pay anything for it, I would estimate the cost to be between 20-30 thousand dollars.

I would love to see it close up.

[KittyWampus]

34. Wow, I honestly couldn't tell and would love to see a swatch close up.

[NashVegas]

36. Here's a Detail

[Window]

39. That dress is lovely.

[JI7]

46. close up it looks far more beautiful

[beac]

51. Great earrings too. (Having a little short-girl envy of those LONG dangles!) n/t

[beac]

12. I have a feeling that dress looks MUCH better in person, but I agree that

it wasn't a great choice for television. I was hoping for something sleeker.

[Tatiana]

14. I love the style, cut, and fit of the gown. It accentuates her figure.

The white color looks good on her as well. However, I don't like the detail. She should have gone with a satiny material. That said, she still pulls off the look pretty well.

[KittyWampus]

15. It seems to be a warm white that is stunning with her skin tone.

[ErinBerin84]

16. I'm not crazy about the flowers

But I think she looks very nice overall....most first lady dresses for the ball seem pretty bad, so I don't think it's as bad some of the past. I like the color and silhouette, and I think her beauty transcends her dress maybe not being perfect. I hope she has fun tonight!

[Raine]

17. The color is not good

for TV, it washes out the detailing. :-(

[Phoonzang]

18. They haven't had an HD camera in any of the events yet

I'm sure it would look better in HD.

Wow...this is my third post today putting down Standard def TV. :)

[donna123]

20. it does look like cotton balls

What was she thinking? It would be ok if it didn't have all those weird things stuck to it. Maybe a different color would have been good too. She's a striking woman, there are clothes that will flatter her and that dress was not one of them! I would also like to see her with a softer look too. She's really tall and while image isn't everything, it is something. Jackie O knew this. I think Michelle Obama is more in the vein of Hillary and Eleanor Roosevelt than Jackie O but there is something to be said for style.

[KittyWampus]

35. My advice if she doesn't get pro advise is to have a friend photograph her wearing a piece

often we can get a better sense of how things look in a photo as opposed to a mirror.

[Waiting For Everyman]

21. I don't like it either.

It should've been something drapey, not like a '50s prom dress.

I usually REALLY like her choices. Only this one and the election night one didn't work IMO. But... no biggy, it's true that it's just a dress after all. I hope they have a good time!

[smalll]

22. The cotton-ball dress is awful. But she looked LOVELY during the day today --

in her yellow(yellowish) ensemble - so elegant! She clearly has a great sense of style. Give her some time as First Lady, and I bet she will make fewer and fewer of these mistakes (The cotton-balls, the "black widow" outfit on victory night.)

[Mojorabbit]

53. I did not care for the yellow outfit

too matronly for my taste. I love the gown though it does not translate well to television lighting.

[Touchdown]

23. Meow!

:rofl:

[Tsiyu]

57. ...

:rofl:

[NoSheep]

24. yes. it does.

[weezie1317]

25. I love the gown, but I think it looks much better in person than it does on TV.

[Phoonzang]

26. Ok, I just saw it in HD....it looks like she was caught in a hen house explosion

Tufts of feathers all over it.

[emilyg]

27. Oh dear.

[Doctor_J]

28. Mr. Blackwell? I thought you croaked last year

Shoo! Go away!

[Phoonzang]

32. Should I have said

looks like she was just in a pillow fight? Or perhaps more topical....looks like she was flying behind the airliner in New York when it hit those geese.

[Doremus]

41. Hen house explosion? Were you hurt? n/t

[DesertRat]

29. It looks better in HD. n/t

[eleny]

30. Is that the ABC programming?

[DesertRat]

37. Yes. n/t

[eleny]

38. thx!

[juajen]

31. I thought the dress was beautiful and she looked lovely.

I have criticized her before about some of her clothes, but I believe she has hit home runs all day.

[shayes51]

33. It looks like a prom dress.

[avaistheone1]

40. Michelle looks great, but the dress is not so great.

[Doremus]

42. Her dress is beautiful and, more importantly, so is the woman wearing it.

So you think Michelle dressed herself in a vacuum with no professional assistance? I highly, highly doubt that.

Funny, isn't it, how armchair critics always know more than experienced professionals? :eyes:

[KittyWampus]

43. I am fairly certain she got no input on how it would look on tv and on stage

[Doremus]

45. Well, you've been outvoted anyway ... by REAL fashion critics

You suppose they might know a little bit about fashion? Or do their opinions pale in comparison to your superior expertise?

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/countdown-to-the-gown-live-blogging-michelle-obama-s-inaugural-style-the-gown-is-by-jason-wu-354416

[KittyWampus]

49. LOL! what you think of a dress in and of itself means nothing to how it looks on tv.

And that dress looks like she has cotton balls stuck all over it.

That's just an honest observation.

It looked awful on tv and the stage.

[Doremus]

54. In your opinion. And it seems you are in the minority.

But if it makes you feel better to keep repeating how horrible our new First Lady looked in her lovely ball gown, have at it. Just know that few share your opinion, amateurs such as yourself AND professionals who actually have the creds to back up their opinions.

I'm done with this silliness.

[kwassa]

44. another catty fashion thread.

Meow.

It all gets so tiresome.

[KittyWampus]

48. catty would imply insulting and I did no such thing.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

50. the bedspread?

I don't think I would like to have it be likened to a chenile bedspread!

[firedupdem]

52. I thought it was beautiful on my HD channels. I don't think non

HD does it justice. I think it's a beautiful dress.

[road2000]

55. Cripes.

No personal offense intended, but your fashion expertise is confined to cutting down old bedspreads for "primitive angel dolls"?

She and the dress are lovely.

[fortyfeetunder]

56. I like it -- it makes her look graceful yet energetic

I'd hate to know how long she'd been up on I-day so this looks like she was ready to par-tay!