During her eight years spent in the White House, former first lady Michelle Obama’s fashion game was impeccably strong.
Not only did she exhibit a grasp of the times, while supporting American designers, what she wore was more than a mere lesson in color blocking and silhouettes. Obama wore outfits that contained subtle, but very straightforward, messages.
In her first public appearance at the American Institute of Architects conference in Orlando, Florida since exiting the White House in January, she wore a Lafayette 148 dress. The Celia dress is a continuance of Obama’s signature fashion style: bare arms, a color blocked design, and an air of regality. Despite the fact that the former first family will be rolling in dough if they continue booking speaking engagements, Obama’s appearance in a dress that costs $548 (still pricey for many Americans, but not insanely out of reach) sent a message. That message being: she’ll continue to be just as sophisticated as a private citizen as she was as a public servant. Presidencies may end, but style is forever.
In 2009, when the former FLOTUS bared her arms for the first time as the first lady, instead of bowing down to the backlash and covering up, she made sleeveless dresses and tops the norm. There was nary a jacket, shoe, or any other piece of clothing she could wear without an onslaught of questions and critique. Some would even say she took more risks than celebs on the red carpet.
The Hollywood Reporter also noted that the New York-based Lafayette 148, is a brand with a reputation for supporting educational initiatives. And we all know that this is an area in which Obama has shown special interest.
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