MichelleObama

Michelle Obama's Designer Maria Pinto To Close Chicago Store

Filed under: Apparel

Having the favor of Michelle Obama has been a golden ticket for some designers like Jason Wu but even the power of the First Lady and the all-powerful Oprah hasn't been enough to keep Chicago-based designer Maria Pinto in business. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the designer, who kept Mrs. Obama in ladylike sheath dresses and elegant evening wear during much of the 2008 election campaign, has closed her Chicago boutique and is expected to seek bankruptcy protection this week.

Like many smaller designers, Pinto found herself vulnerable to the recession which had many of her clients buying less clothing or switching to less expensive options. Her line appeared in luxury department stores which have also been having hard times, scaling back both the range of goods they purchase and the amounts. Maria Pinto remains optimistic that she will be able to regroup and that her namesake brand will not disappear permanently but is just taking a break to retool.

[via Stylelist]

Gallery: Michelle Obama - First Lady of Fashion?

Tags: fashion, maria pinto, MariaPinto, michelle obama, MichelleObama

Narciso Rodriguez Designs Exclusive Line for eBay

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping

Fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez introduced the Narciso Rodriguez for eBay Collection on the online marketplace yesterday.

Called a "capsule" collection, the line will be sold exclusively through the Narciso Rodriguez for eBay Collection redefining how and where savvy shoppers can buy designer fashion. It is the designer's first direct-to-consumer online retail venture.

"I am extremely excited by the possibilities that this new online sales channel brings to my business long term," says Rodriguez. "For me it's always been about dressing many women of all ages, all types, all sizes, and this special collection on eBay is a unique opportunity to reach a broad global audience."

Gallery: Narciso Rodriguez for eBay Collection

Jersey Top with asymmetrical seam detail

Python Printed T-Shirt and Denim Slim Skirt

The eight-piece limited-edition collection is made from imported Italian fabrics, and bears Rodriguez's signature streamlined look and sophisticated color blocking created in a red, black and white color palette. The collection will be offered at accessible, fixed price points ranging from $65 - $350, in sizes 0 to 14, or extra small to large.

Tags: claire danes, ClaireDanes, ebay, jessica alba, jessica alba style, JessicaAlba, JessicaAlbaStyle, michelle obama, michelle obama fashion, michelle obama style, MichelleObama, MichelleObamaFashion, MichelleObamaStyle, narciso rodiguez, narciso rodriguez, Narciso Rodriguez for eBay, NarcisoRodiguez, NarcisoRodriguez, NarcisoRodriguezForEbay, rachel weisz, RachelWeisz, sarah jessica parker, SarahJessicaParker

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10 Fashion Statements of 2009

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Jewelry, The Fashion Statement

Michelle Obama is radiant in an ensemble of Isabel Toledo, Nina Ricci and Jimmy Choo.

This has been a wonderful year for fashion. From the emergence of fanciful fashion-rebel Lady Gaga to the arms of Michelle Obama, we've had inspiring influences right and left. At a time when most designers were playing it recession-friendly (aka safe), trends and personalities stood out more than ever. Here are Luxist's Top Ten Fashion Statements of 2009.

1. Michelle Obama's inauguration outfit (pictured, by Isabel Toledo)
2. Lady Gaga in general
3. Susan Boyle's many makeovers

Click through the gallery for pics of the whole list!

Gallery: 10 Fashion Statements of 2009

1. Michelle Obama's Inauguration Day Outfit

Tags: 2009, fashion, Lady Gaga, LadyGaga, Mad Men, MadMen, Michelle Obama, MichelleObama, Miley Cyrus, MileyCyrus, Susan Boyle, SusanBoyle, Whitney Houston, WhitneyHouston

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The Fashion Statement: The Top Ten Fashion Influences of 2009

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

For a year that was fraught with Depression era-like woes, 2009 wasn't a bad year for fashion. Here's an informal roundup of the year's top 10 inspirations.

Michelle Obama: From the inaugural gown by Jason Wu to the shorts scandal over the summer, the First Lady kept our interest. She spoke volumes to the fashion community by launching the careers of little-known American designers giving them a leg up when they needed it most.

M.C. Hammer: Harem pants was a huge trend of 2009 but the look hasn't come back without controversy. In November, the Wall Street Journal took a look at the fad and quoted Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour as saying, "To be honest, they are not my favorite."

Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson's death was arguably the biggest media story of the year. Suddenly, blogs, TV and magazines were saturated with images of military jackets, pedal pushers, white socks, fedoras and penny loafers. Harper's Bazaar's September issue paid tribute with Agyness Deyn dressed as the King of Pop.

Playboy Bunnies: Marc Jacobs can be blamed for the bunny ears, but the larger fashion news story was the over-the-knee boots (or OTKs) that first emerged on Madonna courtesy of Louis Vuitton (also designed by Jacobs). Numerous designers from Prada to Hussein Chalayan made the movement a force to be reckoned with in the footwear biz.

Mad Men: Skinny suits for men has been in Italy for years and American menswear designers like Thom Browne was an early proponent. But TV show Mad Men has arguably played a role in adapting the American male's eye to the '60s trim silhouette.

Gallery: The Fashion Statement, Trends 2009

Tags: Africa and the Middle East, AfricaAndTheMiddleEast, Forties, Harem pants, HaremPants, Lady Gaga, LadyGaga, Mad Men, MadMen, Michael Jackson, MichaelJackson, Michelle Obama, MichelleObama, OTK boots, OtkBoots, Platform shoes, PlatformShoes, The Economy, TheEconomy

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Turquoise is Pantone's Color For 2010

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Last year color-defining company Pantone chose sunny Mimosa as the shade for 2009. Their choice for the color of 2010 is PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise, a tranquil blue-green hue that recalls tropical waters and clear skies. The choice marks another year of distinctly cheery hues, far less dramatic than 2008's moody blue iris or 2007's fiery chili pepper red. Pantone's color experts say that the turquoise color can be used as an accent both in clothing and in home decor to provide a calming and colorful touch. They are also pushing it as a wedding color, pointing out how well it offsets white. One trendsetter has already embraced turquoise, Michelle Obama wore a bright turquoise dress on December 2 while unveiling the White House holiday decorations.

Tags: color, michelle obama, MichelleObama, pantone, patone color 2010, PatoneColor2010, trends, turquoise

Michelle Obama's Naeem Khan Gown

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Michelle Obama wowed the crowd at the first official Obama administration state dinner last night. To welcome Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and his wife, Gursharan Kaur the first lady wore a gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. The strapless gown was decorated with sterling silver sequins in a floral pattern on a nude silk chiffon dress. The Mrs. O website reports that it took three weeks of work by 40 people to create the dress. The work was done in Naeem Khan's family workshop in India. Mrs. Obama accessorized the dress with drop earrings and gold and diamond bangle bracelets.

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Tags: Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama Fashion, michelle obama style, MichelleObama, MichelleObamaFashion, MichelleObamaStyle

The Fashion Statement: The Obama Effect

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

Michelle Obama seems to be single-handedly thrusting unknown designers into the fashion stratosphere. First, there was Jason Wu who, before the now infamous Inaugural Gown, was known only in fashion circles.

Sophie Théallet is the latest no-name to get noticed arguably from being a favorite of today's jackpot when it comes to celebrity endorsements, the First Lady. Earlier this week the French-born designer, who specializes in boho-luxe designs (read: very expensive and pretty hippie-like dresses), won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund which gives $200,000 to deserving upstart designers. While the honor is voted upon by members of the CFDA, it certainly didn't hurt that only months before, Michelle Obama wore Théallet's dresses to a number of events including Senator Edward Kennedy's funeral.

So who is Sophie Théallet? Turns out, she's one of those behind-the-scenes stars of the design world. According to her bio, she was tapped by Parisian department store Le Printemps to design her own collection right out of design school. After that, she paid her dues as an assistant designer to Jean-Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa where she was dubbed his right hand woman.

Three years ago, she moved to New York and started freelancing for various fashion brands. In 2005, she launched resort line Motu Tane with beauty guru Francois Nars.

Gallery: Sophie Theallet Fashion Statement

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Tags: Ikram, Michelle Obama, MichelleObama, Sophie Theallet, SophieTheallet, the fashion statement, TheFashionStatement

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Rothko, Diebenkorn and Degas join Obama in the White House

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Celebrity Design

The world's latest Nobel Peace Prize winner also has excellent taste in art. President Barack Obama has skipped the staid portraits that are usually pulled to adorn White House walls and instead opted for three dozen pieces with a bit more of an edge. Works have been pulled from the National Gallery of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Smithsonian American Art Museum to decorate the building the symbolizes executive authority in the United States.

The Obama family is definitely leaning modern, with Rothko, Degas and Diebenkorn among the artists represented. They've also included a word painting by Ed Ruscha. Not wanting to deprive the public of the opportunity to view works on display, the Obamas limited their choices to artwork in museum storage.

There's now a lot of money hanging from those White House walls. "Red Band" by Rothko, "Berkeley No. 52" by Diebenkorn and "White Line" by Sam Francis together are estimated to be worth between $20 million and $30 million. Throw a piece by Jasper Johns into the mix – specifically "Numerals, 0 through 9" – and you get a sense of the collection the Obamas have assembled.

Even with access to a collection of that caliber, though, I'd still never take Obama's job. And, there aren't enough Rothkos out there to change my mind.

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Tags: art, art collecting, art collection, art museum, art museums, ArtCollecting, ArtCollection, artist, artists, ArtMuseum, ArtMuseums, artwork, barack obama, BarackObama, degas, ed ruscha, EdRuscha, hirshhorn-sculpture-garden, jasper johns, JasperJohns, mark rothko, MarkRothko, michelle obama, MichelleObama, museum, museums, national gallery of art, NationalGalleryOfArt, nobel peace prize, NobelPeacePrize, obama, president, president barack obama, president obama, PresidentBarackObama, PresidentObama, rothko, smithsonian, smithsonian american art museum, SmithsonianAmericanArtMuseum, white house, WhiteHouse

The Fashion Statement: Why is How People Dress Such a Big Deal?

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

The chatter about Michelle Obama's shorts last week was deafening. Google the subject and 9 million entries pop up. Well, make that 9 million and one, including this post. It blew away President Obama's mom jeans episode last month documented by only 1 million entries.

People care deeply about the way people dress. But it's a mystery why. Why the hell do we care? I mean, it's kind of embarrassing that we paid so much attention to a lousy pair of shorts. And modest ones at that.

Something in our primitive dinosaur brains kicked in when we saw Michelle Obama step off Air Force One. We weren't sure if it was okay. Eventually, the media asked us to weigh in and, after thinking about it with our evolved brains, 80 percent of us said it was fine.

Catch Madonna in a pair of shorts and even our dinosaur brains would be nonplussed. Style and cut would be debated, sure, but impropriety would never come up.

Why? Because clothes are inextricably linked to identity. Rationally, how can we whine that Michelle Obama wears shorts when most of us wear shorts? But, deep down, we don't want her to be like us. We want to see an aspirational image of the First Lady descending from the most exclusive airplane in the world. We want Jackie O. Or at least a business-like version...which Michelle Obama is most of the time.

Maybe not in a skinny pair True Religions, but we'd kinda like to see President Obama in a slimmer pair of jeans, say from Lucky Brand Jeans. That dovetails with our image of him as a hip, modern guy. Mom jeans don't fit, both figuratively and literally.

Tags: Barack Obama, BarackObama, Duckie Brown, DuckieBrown, Gen Buy, GenBuy, Jayne ODonnell, JayneOdonnell, Kit Yarrow, KitYarrow, Madonna, Michelle Obama, MichelleObama, Trade-Off by Kevin Maney, Trade-offByKevinManey

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Michelle Obama Wears Toywatch Timepiece - Popular, Purple, And Plastic - Basically A Toy

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Toywatch watches are pretty popular, especially since Oprah endorsed them a while ago. I have to say that I'd like to see Oprah maybe get a lesson in watch appreciation so that she can at least recommend different types of watches. Right now she seems partial to flamboyantly colored plastic timepieces (as she also endorsed Tok watches). Now, aside from that Toywatch watches have a lot to offer. You get that Rolex Submariner style look, in a bunch of fanciful colors, in light weight plastic and with a quartz movement. The style is nice actually, and I like the idea behind the brand. I am concerned though that for almost two hundred dollars you are overpaying for a watch that is plastic and has a very basic and inexpensive movement. So what you are paying for is a fashion statement and to be part of a growing club of celebrities that have been known to wear the watches.

Michelle Obama is an ad hoc celebrity of course, and she has been recently seen with her family wearing a purple Toywatch in Paris, France. The specific model is the Neon Plasteramic Ultra Violet watch. A 38mm wide plastic timepiece that ironically reads "Professional" on the dial. This watch collection is available in a variety of colors and is certainly a bold statement, with an equally bold price. If you like it, you'll be among a long list of other people who do. Just be careful with it as the watch is plastic - just like a toy. Michelle Obama has been seen wearing other watches as well, such as a Cartier for her official White House portrait.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Michelle Obama Toywatch

Tags: michelle obama, MichelleObama, plasteramic, purple ultra violet, PurpleUltraViolet, toy watch, toywatch

The Obamas Enjoy Date Night At Blue Hill New York

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Diners in New York City's Greenwich Village got a surprise Saturday night when the President and First Lady joined them for dinner. The First Couple ate at the Blue Hill restaurant before seeing a Broadway show "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" at the Belasco Theater. The NY Daily News reports that when the couple left the restaurant the other diners stood up and applauded them. Diners were searched before going into the restaurant and the entire block was closed off.

The menu at Blue Hill New York focuses on local food sourced mostly from Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Guests can choose from the regular menu or opt for the "Farmer's Feast," a five-course tasting menu. Entrees including Hudson Valley chicken pot au feu and Berkshire pig stew are in the $30-$40 range. The President and First Lady have expressed an interest in gardening, farming and healthy food options so this restaurant, which showcases fresh fruit and vegetables and simple preparations was a natural choice.

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Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, blue hill, blue hill restaurant, BlueHill, BlueHillRestaurant, michelle obama, MichelleObama, restaurant

The Jumbled Jewels of Tom Binns

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Like designers Jason Wu, Loree Rodkin and others, jewelry creator Tom Binns recently got a Mrs. Obama boost when the First Lady wore one of his creations at the black-tie dinner for the National Governor's Association. The tangled mass of pearls worn above a glittering Peter Soronen gown made a dramatic statement. Binns designs pieces with a punk couture sensibility honed by working with Vivienne Westwood and Macolm McLaren.

Yes, there are safety pins in his collections, often rendered in smooth gold and affixed to a riotous bulk of chains. But Binns also does pretty, there are Art Nouveau influences, as wells as gothic skulls, crosses and necklaces that pair rhinestones with tumbled glass. The effect is a beautiful nonsense completely in line with his Dada leanings.

The LA Times's Booth Moore profiled Binns this week, revealing a charming curmudgeon who's a bit of a workaholic. He is currently producing 30 collections with price points ranging from the low hundreds to around $25,000. He recently opened his first store in New York City. Binn is sanguine about his Obama moment. He's quoted in the profile as saying "t's actually the integrity that's precious, not the material. Value is not what they say it is, it's what you feel it is. And she looked like a million dollars."

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Tags: dada, jewelry, michelle obama, MichelleObama, tom binns, TomBinns

Mrs. Obama's Lanvin Sneakers

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Michelle Obama's fashion choices continue to raise eyebrows. Even her sneakers aren't safe. Michelle Obama and Jill Biden pitched in at a Feeding America event. Mrs. Obama wore a casual sweater, capri pants and a pair of shiny suede and pink metallic sneakers from Lanvin. It turns out that the sneakers with grosgrain ribbon laces cost $540 and this has tongues clucking. The NY Daily News reports that the kicks, which come in denim and satin versions have been selling well all season. Given that Mrs. Obama often wears shoes by Jimmy Choo and other expensive designers, it's not clear why the sneakers are so provocative. Is it because they are casual footwear? Given the controversy perhaps next tiime she'll head to J.Crew for the sneakers too, the most expensive pink Jack Purcell pair sells for $195.

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Tags: lanvin, michelle obama, MichelleObama, sneakers

First Lady Michelle Obama Wears Cartier Watch For Official White House Portrait

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Of course people are talking about Michelle Obama's choice of wardrobe for her official White House image located on the White House website. The attire while elegant, is distinctly modern and does not draw attention away from the face. Associated Press writer Caryn Rousseau reported on the photograph and commented on the first lady's choice of accessories including her jewelry and wrist watch. For the photograph, Michelle Obama chose her steel Cartier Tank Francaise - a popular Cartier Tank watch that is tasteful and luxurious without being showy - a good choice for any First Lady. The watch comes in both male and female models with various levels of gilding.

Michelle Obama's subtle yet sophisticated taste shows in her choice of wearing the undecorated version of the watch in steel, although the watch is available with gold and with diamond settings. The White House portrait of the first lady does not make the model of the watch clear, but the trained eye is easily able to pick up the recognizable timepiece. Cartier themselves expressed surprise and excitement over the picture as they had no idea she would be wearing the particular watch for the occasion.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Cartier Tank Francaise

Tags: cartier, first lady, FirstLady, michelle obama, MichelleObama, tank francaise, TankFrancaise, timepiece, watch, wristwatch

The Obamas Will Pay For Their Own Redecorating

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Michelle Obama has already taken a rake to the White House lawn tohelp put a kitchen garden in, now the First Family is taking matters into their own hands when it comes to White House decor. New York magazine reports that Barack and Michelle Obama have decided not to use taxpayers' money to renovate their private quarters at the White House. Traditionally new presidents have $100,000 of government money to outfit their rooms. But the Obamas, who hired famous interior designer Michael S. Smith. will not be using public funds or accepting free goods to redecorate their quarters. Because it will be out of public domain, the exact budget for the Obama overhaul isn't known. Michelle Obama has expressed interests in brands like Pottery Barn but that might be a bit of a waste of Mr. Smith's talents.

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Tags: barack obama, BarackObama, michelle obama, MichelleObama, white house, WhiteHouse