First Lady Sparkles At Capitol

Michelle's Sparkling Yellow-Gold Inaugural Outfit Considered "A Cheerful Message Of Hope"

(AP)  First lady Michelle Obama wore a sparkling yellow-gold sheath dress with matching coat by Cuban-born American designer Isabel Toledo for the inauguration of her husband, a choice many applauded as a cheerful message of hope and a vote for the American fashion industry.

She paired the embellished ensemble with green gloves from J. Crew and green shoes.

President Barack Obama wore a red tie and white shirt with his suit, topped with an overcoat adorned with an American flag pin.

Their daughters were style icons in their own right, with 10-year-old Malia in a double-breasted periwinkle-blue coat with a blue-ribbon bow at the waist, and Sasha, 7, in a pink coat with orange scarf and satin belt, a coral-colored dress peeking out at the hem. Their coats were from Crewcuts by J. Crew.

The fashion industry has anxiously looked to the election of Mr. Obama for months, embracing his wife as an emblem and ambassador of modern American style. She has won praise for her penchant for lesser-known designers and bold fashion choices, mixed with her unabashed love for mass fashion from mainstream American retailers.

"She is single-handedly breathing new life into designers like Narciso Rodriguez and Isabel Toledo, who have had a rocky past," said red-carpet and editorial stylist Mary Alice Stephenson.

"What's so powerful about Michelle Obama is we all see ourselves in her. She's a modern woman who is fashionable and even flamboyant in her style and she is still taken seriously," she said. "She's wearing that dress today for all of us. We're all wearing that dress with her. The dress is elegant, appropriate and has the individual style stamp of Michelle Obama and is timely for a woman in her 40s - and she wears embellishment during the day. Hallelujah!"

Nicole Phelps, executive editor of Style.com, notes that Michelle Obama has found an elegant silhouette that works for her: the narrow sheath dress and complementary coat.

The inaugural outfit is a "classic choice - rather conservative compared to some of the things she's worn so far," Phelps said, but she still gives her fashion wink with her gloves and colored pumps. The gold, she adds, captures the glistening sun.

"This choice sends a great message to the fashion community. She could have gone with someone more obvious, like Ralph Lauren, but this sends a message to the American designers who are struggling. ... It also says that just because she's in the White House, she'll support the under-the-radar designers she wore on the way to the White House," Phelps said.

Designer Toledo, who just a few years ago unsuccessfully tried to infuse more modern style into the venerable Anne Klein label, is considered among the more avant garde U.S. designers.

Michelle Obama has been noted for choosing unexpected fashion designers, including Narciso Rodriguez, Zero + Maria Cornejo and Chicago designer Maria Pinto. For the "Kids Inaugural" concert on Monday, Michelle Obama wore a J.Crew ensemble, including a metallic lace top, aqua-colored pencil skirt and cardigan.

The Obamas' look Tuesday contrasted with that of the outgoing Bushes, with Laura Bush in a dove-gray skirt suit and matching coat.

On the podium with the Obamas, Vice President Joe Biden wore a bright blue tie, while his wife Jill had on a bright red coat and high black leather boots.

Also catching style-watchers' eyes: Aretha Franklin singing to the immense crowd gathered at the Capitol in an over-the-top hat with an oversized bow and beading.

[lily1972]

i thought she looked great!! BOTH outfits.

[cricketmk3]

I thought Michelle looked very nice and she is a very pretty and smart lady! I believe the color was symbolic and I liked it just fine...yellow for optimism and green for...well...green. What difference does it make anyway? Would you have been happier if she''d spent $150,000 on the dress and looked like you wanted her to? Some of you would complain about that too!!

[credibility2]

People are entitled to their opinions, including criticisms, which must never be misconstrued by the immature as "hate". Michelle looked frumpy and dowdy in her ball gown. It wasn''t at all flaterring on her form. The designer doesn''t know how to dress women and Michelle doesn''t have the fashion sense to know what works well on her. Fabric that makes her look thick and disproportionate with a fabric that adds size and girth. She would''ve looked better with her hair up and her eyebrows less haughty and garish. Michelle also needs to have better posture and be proud of her height; she tends to slouch too much and hunch her shoulders. Please stop referring to her as a fashion-ista or icon; she is neither, but does have potential.

[thmonts]

I think she look great! Stop hating!

[agt-r]

Our running joke around the family is that Michelle Obama is being dressed by her enemies. What was she thinking! She needs to ditch her fashion consultant! That dress was not only hideous, the color even worse, the gloves did not match, and the dress she wore for the first gala event looked right out of my veggie refrigerator bin!

[jacsm1217]

Some go on about her clothes and how great they are. I disagree. This outfit was ok but Mrs. Bush looked better. Michelle did have a beige dress and coat on earlier and she looked fine. She needs to keep her legs together when she stands. Some of her dresses are just bad. Hope she gets help now that she is the first lady.

[alancontact]

"Did not love the dress and coat - odd choice of color for the time of year."

The color was NOT chosen according to the season. It was chosen because the color yellow represents optimism. It was a symbolic choice that fit the theme of the day. Would you have rather she wore black?

[misssuzq]

Did not love the dress and coat - odd choice of color for the time of year.

In the past she has worn jewel tones that would have worked again for her.

Biden''s did fit the bill for a partriotic event.

At least she is not wearing truly expensive designer gowns like Nancy Regan.

[brianp55]

Michelle Obama looked awkward in most of the clothing she wore during the campaign and the clothing selected for the inauguration continues that tradition. It must be attributable to her general build and the length of her arms and legs. She''s going to have to work on finding the right "look". Something that appears more natural on her. Nontheless, she is generally an attractive woman and will represent this country well as First Lady, I believe.

[donbl1]

The lady is smart and articulate.

However, she is no fashion model. More the Eleanor Roosevelt type who accomplished a great deal of good "world wide" but was never called "pretty".

It would be better for the media to focus on something they can sell........

[greenmanmapl]

Fashionista? Look, I *really* like Obama, but Michelle can''t dress herself at all. She has a penchant for too-simple shapes in hideous fabrics that fit poorly and look cheap. The woman needs to become a "lady", and dress like one.

[notopennshut]

In a way, it seems that Dr. Biden wants to "outshine" the rest in her choice of color! She has also gone down in my opinion, if you heard what she "blurted" out on Oprah! I would not have expected that from her, and so she has ruffled many feathers now. But the main question here is how can we ever trust her loose-lips ever again, when the VP comes home with all the "classified" stuff, and then gets Jill to "blurt" them out. However, does she also realize that fortunately, it is Hillary who is the Sec State, and NOT Joe, for with his skills of making gaffes, that would be the end of diplomacy for our country. Thanks Jill for being such a blabber mouth!