Michelle Obama Won't Be Hemmed In By a Dress Choice
When First Lady Michelle Obama appeared at a state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao decked out in a (lovely) scarlet frock, she set tongues wagging â€" and not because it was too revealing. A plethora of designers got their collective panties in a wad because the dress didn't hail from an American atelier. The flap that ensued is an object lesson for brand leaders in how not to behave.
You might be able to forgive them because Obama is no "ordinary" celebrity. Gallons of ink are spilled daily on Hollywood-types trotting out designer threads on red carpets or while drinking a latte. But Kim Kardashian's cleavage-baring blouses don't translate into the kind of sales generated by the First Lady or Britain's trend-setting princess-to-be Kate Middleton.
Indeed, Michelle Obama did turn out to be the one-woman stimulus package I predicted last year. 189 public appearances created $2.7 billion in cumulative returns for fashion and retail companies associated with the clothes she wore, according to a study by Professor David Yermack.
That's still no reason for Oscar de la Renta to wag his finger and tell WWD, "My understanding is that the visit was to promote American-Chinese trade -- American products in China and Chinese products in America. Why do you wear European clothes?"
It's worth noting that de la Renta was once the design darling of choice for First Ladies, including the two most seen in his signature red, Nancy Reagan and Laura Bush. Though he even admitted to the Washington Post that he'd love to dress Obama, and he was "dying of jealousy" when she wore a Peter Soronen gown, he's still waiting for an opportunity. Cathy Horyn of the NYT noted that his comments could be seen as sour grapes.
Diane von Furstenburg and her cronies as the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) were no better for their outcry of "surprise and disappointment." Neither was Steven Kolb, the CFDA's executive director, as he waffled between saying Obama had the right to choose whatever dress she likes and what he sees as her responsibilities, "spotlighting America, American jobs, American industry, American innovation."
Their sartorial snit likely goaded Obama into wearing a (somewhat lumpy) silver sheath by Rachel Roy as she sat in the audience for the State of the Union. Is that how they want to be perceived as bullies for the oh-so-worthy cause of ensuring Obama wears American rags?
Being gracious, or silent, would have gone a long way to raising their profile in buyers' minds, even if their threads weren't the ones on Obama's back. You didn't hear a peep from California-bred Roy -- who would not have been blamed for public gloating as the SOTU dress marked yet one more time Obama's chosen her designs.
Michelle Obama put some perspective on the whole dress mess during an appearance on Good Morning America. "Look, women, wear what you love. That's all I can say. That's my motto. I wear what I like because ... I gotta be in the dress, so--" and added that it was a much better use of her time for her to focus on childhood health and rallying support for military families.
Moral of the story: In a global economy, the First Lady knows no boundaries, only stylish clothes. Wise are the designers of any nation who continue to churn out elegant, comfortable clothing -- and keep quiet when the spotlight eludes them.
Image via Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0
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