By Adele
While Barack Obama showed super-human grace under pressure and imperviousness to bone-chilling cold, Michelle was right beside him, losing her usually dead-on fashion sense.
Humans believe animals are largely color-blind, but cats see more than you think.
First, the winner: Michelle’s elegant “lemon grass” yellow inaugural outfit, which designer Isabel Toledo claims was also warm. (Hillary Clinton, regal in royal blue, really looked toasty and appropriate.)
But Michelle managed to glow in a color nobody white can. I wouldn’t be caught dead in a yellow collar, and Bill Clinton should lose his yellow scarf. Michelle stood out for miles by looking like spring, which the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial probably appreciated. She even made puke-green gloves seem pretty.
But, Michelle, rhinestones before noon? Come on! That’s a rookie mistake.
Everyone’s gushing over her inaugural gown, but I think it was a loser. They said Michelle had several possibilities, and surely one of them must have been classier than a recycled wedding dress festooned with pom-poms or shredded Kleenex tissue. When Michele and Barack (super-suave in white tie and tux) made their big entrance at the Neighborhood Ball, they looked like the top of a wedding cake.
(AP Photo)
In addition to making Michelle look fat, didn’t anybody tell designer Jason Wu she would be dancing? The last time I saw Michelle’s train, it was wrapped around her feet getting stepped on.
Leave it to a 26-year-old guy (Wu) to limit the First Lady’s dance moves on the biggest night of her life to shuffling back and forth or tripping her partners.
Once Michelle sees all the ink her wardrobe choices get, she may start seeking a second opinion before future big events.
Cats Working 
Agreed …horrble dress almost as bad as the bug dress she wore on election night. Even the puke yelloe umpire dress yesterday was ugly. Who are her handlers? No more Narcisso, no more Wu..get on board with some Armani.
Morgan, I don’t think Michelle has realized yet how some of her clothing choices come across on camera. The yellow dress yesterday was strangely constructed. At times it looked like there might be a vest, but later at the luncheon when she removed the coat, there wasn’t one. And, I’m sorry, I don’t care what the designer says, with that coat flapping in the breeze, there’s no way Michelle could have been warm.
I really expected to see her turn up in some shade of lavender or purple.
I thought the black and red number she wore election night was interesting, but again, it didn’t film very well, and I think she had a sweater tied around her waist or something. Somebody should have yanked that off.
I saw that Jason Wu on the Today Show this morning and he seems kind of flaky. For that hideous white gown (which one writer claimed might have been an homage to Nancy Reagan’s first inaugural gown (Why? And the Reagan dress was straight and elegant. Besides, Wu wasn’t even born yet), he doesn’t deserve to be immortalized in the Smithsonian.
I think it’s good that Michelle’s picking American designers, but if the talent’s not there, go Euro I say!
Adele, I see a future for you as a fashion commentator. Too bad you don’t travel. I’m with you. I didn’t mind Michelle’s daytime outfit, although I agree about the rhinestones — and the dress had a bow that was kind of funky. I think Michelle was cold, and that’s why she and Barack would walk a little and then get back in the “beast” as the first vehicle is being called.
I spent the entire day with friends, so there was a running commentary. Michelle’s evening gown was a total loss. I thought she kept tugging at it due to static cling, until the train was pointed out to me. One of my friends thought that there were Kleenex pompoms on the dress, but another said that maybe the puffs were “pills” — those little nubs that some sweaters develop. Still, what a fabulous looking couple, and I find the fact that Michelle isn’t much of a fashonista appealing. I’ll bet her next formal outfit, will be better thought-out, though.
You’re so right about the colors white folk can’t wear. I’m very fair-skinned, and if I wore that shade of yellow, or beige, or almost any pale color, I’d either look jaundiced or morgue-slab ready.
I liked it, thought it more of a pretty shade of green.
Adele, now that Mr. Blackwell has gone on to the Great Litterbox, maybe the world is ready for Ms. Whitewell — Me!
I like the fact that Michelle wears reasonably-priced clothes off the rack from known retailers that anybody can run out and buy, instead of going all designer and forcing ladies into cheap knock-offs.
I’m no designer, but I know anything that fluffs you out makes you look fat. So whatever was stuck to or popping out of the fabric of her gown, it didn’t help. I read somewhere that the gown had a lot of beading, which didn’t come through on TV.
I looked at a lot of other First Lady gowns and there were quite a few white ones, but they were sophisticated. Obama looked so Fred Astairey, I would have expected Michelle to have worn something less high school promish.
But the designer was a kid, so what do you expect?
I watched a bit of the Neighborhood Ball last night and as the camera panned around the room, I couldn’t help noticing that ALL the other women looked more chic than Michelle. Beyonce’s simple lavender gown was lovely.
I did love Michelle’s earrings. I could have batted at those all night!
Watching a replay of the Obamas dancing, I noticed Barack giving her wide berth during an underarm turn, undoubtedly because he’d become aware of the train. During their first dance, I don’t think he realized what he was dealing with because at one point the camera pulled back and both of their feet were tangled in the train. I suspect we won’t be seeing any tails on her gowns again.
Karen and I have the same color palette (although being pure white, I can pull off a bit more than she does). Yellow, orange, beige, all greens except emerald, and even some icy pastels look awful on us.
I think Michelle Obama looks good in just about any color she wears except black.
So much for the theory that cats can only see yellow and blue…
MC, you may want to adjust your set. Her daytime outfit was definitely yellow (lemon grass, they call it), but her gloves were sort of olive green, and her shoes another shade of green.
I totally disagree with you–I thought she looked great!
Don’t get me wrong. I think Michelle looks great 99% of the time, which is why that ball gown was so dismaying.
I haven’t confirmed it yet, but I heard through the grapevine that she wore some bizarre full-skirted number to church with the Bidens and Clintons the next day, when the other 2 ladies were in nice suits.
I hope somebody steps in to help her before she dresses and goes out again.