Michelle Obama Might Be the Best Dressed First Lady Since Jackie O
Not since Jackie O has a first lady had as much sartorial savvy as Michelle Obama. Whether it’s a state dinner, a quick hop on Air Force One with her equally well-heeled daughters Sasha and Malia, or an appearance on stage with Beyoncé, Obama consistently opts for unexpected, lesser-known, and on-the-verge designers like Preen and Zero + Maria Cornejo in addition to her custom Vera Wang and Marchesa. But her fashion also has political inklings — for a state dinner welcoming Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie, Obama opted for a Jason Wu design (Wu is Taiwanese-Canadian), while her trips across Europe and Asia have often been accompanied by garments that pull inspiration from local fashion and customs. Still, her recent trip to Morocco and Madrid saw her outfitted in Altuzarra and Proenza Schouler, and while she’s sworn allegiance to no particular label, one thing’s for sure — there are a whole lot of Americans among her choices. In honor of Obama’s birthday, see her best looks from the 2009 inauguration to today.
Michelle Obama in Alexander McQueen at a state dinner in Washington, D.C., January 2011.
Michelle Obama in Azzedine Alaïa in Baden-Baden, Germany, April 2009.
Michelle Obama in Ralph Lauren in London, England, May 2011.
Michelle Obama in Michael Kors on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, January 2012.
Michelle Obama in Thom Browne at President Obama’s second inauguration in Washington, D.C., January 2013.
Michelle Obama in Carolina Herrera at a state dinner in Berlin, Germany, June 2013.
Michelle Obama in Marchesa at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C., May 2014.
Michelle Obama in Bibhu Mohabaptra at the Congressional Black Caucus dinner in Washington, D.C., September 2014.
Michelle Obama in Zac Posen at the BET Black Girls Rock! special in Newark, New Jersey, March 2015.
Michelle Obama in Mary Katrantzou in London, England, June 2015.
Michelle Obama in Christopher Kane in London, England, June 2015.
Michelle Obama in Carolina Herrera at the arrival of Pope Francis in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, September 2015.
Michelle Obama in Vera Wang at a state dinner in Washington, D.C., September 2015.
Michelle Obama in Tanya Taylor in Washington, D.C., March 2016.
Michelle Obama in Jason Wu at a state dinner in Washington, D.C., March 2016.
Michelle Obama in Carolina Herrera arriving in Havana, Cuba, March 2016.
Michelle Obama in BCBG at the opening ceremony for the Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida, May 2016.
Michelle Obama in Naeem Khan at the Nordic state dinner in Washington, D.C., May 2016.
Michelle Obama in Hugo Boss speaking with Oprah in Washington, D.C., June 2016.
Michelle Obama in Marni in Monrovia, Liberia, June 2016.
Michelle Obama in Proenza Schouler in Marrakech, Morroco, June 2016.
Michelle Obama in Peter Pilotto in Marrakech, Morocco, June 2016.
Michelle Obama in Proenza Schouler arriving in Madrid, Spain, June 2016.
Michelle Obama in Preen in Madrid, Spain, July 2016.
Michelle Obama in Christian Siriano arriving at a memorial for police officers killed in Dallas, Texas, July 2016.
Michelle Obama in Christian Siriano at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 2016.
Michelle Obama in Brandon Maxwell at a state dinner honoring the first family of Singapore in Washington, D.C., August 2016.
Michelle Obama in Naeem Khan at the Phoenix Awards dinner in Washington, D.C., September 2016.
Michelle Obama in Self-Portrait at the Broadway Shine a Light event in New York, New York, September 2016.
Michelle Obama in Milly with Jennifer Fisher jewelry and Jimmy Choo pumps on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, September 2016.
Michelle Obama in Giambattista Valli with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., October 2016.
Michelle Obama in Atelier Versace with President Barack Obama, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and Italian Firsty Lady Agnese Landini at the state dinner honoring the Italian first family in Washington, D.C., October 2016.
Michelle Obama at a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, October 2016.
Michelle Obama in 3.1 Phillip Lim with President Barack Obama at their final White House Halloween in Washington, D.C., October 2016.
Michelle Obama in custom Gucci at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., December 2016.
Michelle Obama in a floral top with Jimmy Choo flats reading The Night Before Christmas with Ryan Seacrest in Washington, D.C., December 2016.
Michelle Obama, in Jason Wu, with Malia Obama, in Cinq à Sept, and Barack Obama at the president’s farewell address in Chicago, Illinois, January 2017.
Michelle Obama in Givenchy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, January 2017.
