First Lady Michelle Obama picked fashion insider Isabel Toledo, 47, to design her Inaugural ensemble. The glamorous, creamy yellow dress and matching overcoat were made of satin-backed wool guipure, a kind of lace used most often in French haute couture. Obama accessorized the look with a sparkling crystal necklace and green leather gloves and shoes. Although the First Lady’s office repeatedly said that Obama would not decide on her outfit until that morning, the choice — including the color, fabric and accessories — shows a lot of confidence and planning on the wearer’s part.
She celebrated her husband’s inauguration on that night wearing a white chiffon, one-shoulder gown covered in fluffy appliques and beading that will now become part of fashion history.
Designed by 26-year-old Jason Wu, much loved in the fashion world but otherwise not well known, the gathered-skirt gown was surprising for its reserve given Michelle Obama’s love of jewel tones and sleek silhouettes.
The gown’s slight train swirled pleasingly and her shoulder-sweeping earrings picked up the gown’s sparkle as she and President Barack Obama danced the evening’s first dance at the Neighborhood Ball at Washington’s Convention Center.
Jason Wu studied fashion design at Parson’s in New York City. He has been designing his eponymous label since February 2006. Here are a few more garments from his collection. (I personally love his garments.)
and collectively decided to “softball it for spring”, Marc Jacobs sent out a Louis Vuitton collection that in any season would have been great. But in contrast to what came before—forays into luxury, safe plays on classics—it was pulse-quickening. In this Paris fashion week, Jacobs continued what he’d started with his collection in New York: crazy fabric mash-ups, layers of references, and snugly sashed waists. Yet now these varied elements cohered into a more urban and highly designed collection, infused with an abundance of ideas and offering infinite wardrobe possibilities. Short, snappy skirts, sequins, and studded suede mixed with perky shouldered jackets—all topped off by a large number of tribal-inspired accessories. With an eye to Paris in the forties, Jacobs seemed to be advocating an entirely different, carpe-diem approach to general malaise: Throw caution to the wind, have fun getting dressed, and by all means, pile it on!
Passion for Fashion: My Blog 