What’s on My Bookshelf: Fashion Edition series part 10
Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy
Mary Tomer, 2009
I thought this was a fitting choice since we are living through such a historic moment in politics right now. There is a lot of patriotism going on with the Olympics too. While I don’t have any books on politics on my bookshelf, I picked out this book as it’s the closest I have. This is funnily extremely on point for me.
The rise of Kamala Harris and her race toward the presidency has made me feel inspired and interested in making more of an effort to understand what is going on politically. I still of course am fashion-driven, so I’ve been thinking about how pant suits for women are probably about to have such a major moment thanks to Madame Vice President.
The book follows Michelle’s fashion during Barack Obama’s 2008-2009 campaign and victory (including the Democratic National Convention, which is currently coming up for the 2024 election). My initial thought after picking up this book was being so surprised that it was written in 2009. There were still so many fashion moments to be made by Michelle during her run as First Lady and afterward. Like, remember when she wore those shiny Balenciaga boots on her book tour in 2018?
But it turns out, she was cementing herself as a style icon years before that. I was in elementary school when Barack Obama was running for president. Most of the moments featured in the book are faint memories for me, but it’s fascinating how the outfits Michelle wore help bring back a little recollection. The red and black dress from the night Barack won the election (Narciso Rodrigez), the white dress from the inaugural ball (Jason Wu), and the lemongrass-colored inauguration day outfit (Isabel Toledo) are the first that come to mind.
The only other first lady I can think of who is considered to have had such noteworthy style is Jackie Kennedy in the 60s. If you think about the First Ladies that came directly before Michelle (Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton), they weren’t dressing anything like the way Mrs. Obama did. Michelle was doing something totally different in the way her personality, intelligence, and strength always shined through her clothes. Her outfits in combination with the work she was doing helped make her accomplishments feel even more inspiring somehow. The power of clothes is so fascinating.
Some of Michelle’s key fashion highlights at that time: She wore GAP and H&M just as well as she wore Moschino or Oscar de la Renta. The First Lady would dress high and low in such a relatable way when she would, for example, wear a J.Crew dress with Jimmy Choo shoes. She perfected a signature style of a sheath dress at that time, never shied away from color or patterns, and rocked a good broach like no one else.
The book has great Q&As and designer spotlights from the brands Michelle was wearing. I loved the Jenna Lyons feature as a RHONY fan. I always appreciate an Azzedine Alaïa mention. I loved the Michael Kors details since that is a brand I have some items from. Looking at her official portrait and now knowing she was wearing Michael Kors, an American designer, is a very cool thing to me. For wearing American designers, and increasing their visibility, Michelle also gets tremendous credit.
Other small moments I loved were Michelle pictured with Carla Bruni (who was serving fashion in her own right over in France), and praise from the legend Andre´Leon Talley. In a little over three hours I read the 200+ page book. Yes, a lot of the book is pictures. But if you love fashion, and you love a little bit of history, this book is a perfect fusion for you.
Kempress Closet 