Michelle Obama: Fashion Innovator

For months it seems our nation can only focus on the economy’s spiral downward. I don’t mean to minimize our current financial system, but it consumes us because economic news seems to infiltrate the media. Every day it’s another newspaper headline or news bulletin on CNN detailing the plight of our current economy and the struggles of average people. Barack Obama’s nomination for the presidency and his focus on changing our current system was like manna sent down from Heaven. However, all his nomination did was re-route our attention from the disastrous state we are in to how Barack will save us.

It’s been a breath of fresh air to see the media tearing its attention away from the Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average to talk about topics not as intense . Attention has shifted only a hop, skip, and a jump from Barack Obama to his high powered, well educated wife, Michelle Obama.


When I started to hear about this coverage, I assumed it had to do with what the New York Times described as “Michelle Obama, the corporate lawyer with a big education, a bigger resume, and a history of high earnings.” However, I was wrong. It’s more about Michelle Obama, the modern day Jackie O, the fashionista, the innovator. I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t believe so much attention could revolve around what the first lady clothes her body with or how her body appears either, but apparently it’s a hit. Open any magazine, from People and Vogue to Ebony and Chicago, and you’ll find glowing articles and columns written about her. She’s been compared to the fashion forward Jackie O and the Bush wives since the primary, with her big pearl necklaces and flirty designer fitted business suits. Her $900 sleeveless Maria Pinto royal-purple silk sheath, paired with a $300 Azzedine Alaia black patent leather belt made waves in the June 2008 headlines, but for reasons other than the expensive, ladylike designer pieces she sported.


Michelle’s arms were showcased in this dress, as was her slender, streamlined silhouette thanks to the formfitting design and cinching of the belt. The media began to take notice of Michelle as more than a well-educated Chicagoan, mother of two, wife of the president. Her physical strength was seen as empowering, and women everywhere took notice. She has the power to guilt women into working out everywhere, especially those “too busy” with the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life. Let’s face it. Our normal lives are mundane and slow paced compared to the first lady’s. According to People magazine, Michelle finds time to work out three or four times a week with a trainer, perfecting those amazing arms with squat kicks with a pushup. If she has time and energy to get in shape like this, the rest of us don’t have an excuse. If you don’t find yourself guilted into beginning your own workout regiment, watching her strut her stuff in a $395 sleeveless pink lace Tracy Reese dress or sleeveless umpire waisted Kai Milla dress will at the very least provoke a sense of awe and respect for this classy lady.

Michelle continues to define fashion and make it entirely her own, modernizing the images of her predecessors as she dives into her historic reign as first lady with her ability to pair expensive chic pieces with less expensive mainstream brands. Sometimes, she opts for the main stream brand all together, letting her usual designer apparel cool on the back burner.


In a time of cutting back and spending less on luxury items, Michelle serves as a model for how to achieve a classic, sophisticated look on a budget.


Michelle accomplished just that while appearing on ABC’s The View and Jay Leno’s Tonight Show sporting outfits from mainstream retailers. In fact, Michelle’s black and white floral print dress, which retailed for $148 sold out in 48 hours after customers called corporate headquarters and retailers across the country while The View was still airing live. Even more incredible, her yellow cardigan and print top caused record sell outs for JCrew’s online store in less than 24 hours, a feat unlike anything seen before.


In a time of financial ruin, it’s refreshing to see the media consider a topic that does not directly address the stress and anxiety most citizens face. Michelle Obama’s fashion directs our attention to a more humanistic topic that both inspires and demands awe. She serves as a role model for women, showcasing a perfectly sculpted physique paired with mainstream articles of clothing that women of all shapes and sizes can wear and afford. She promotes sophistication, physically and mentally, subconsciously influencing many to follow suit.