Even after her time as First Lady, Michelle Obama continues to stand at the forefront of American culture. Unfortunately for her, that means even her slightest fashion faux pas will likely make headlines.
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00:00Even after her time as first lady, Michelle Obama continues to stand at the forefront
00:04of American culture. Unfortunately for her, that means even her slightest fashion faux
00:09pas will likely make headlines.
00:12On election night in 2008, Obama stepped out in one of her most divisive outfits to date.
00:17She wore a black Narciso Rodriguez frock with a splattering of red that looked more foreboding
00:23than fashionable. The crisscross design and black-and-red color palette appeared almost
00:27emo-adjacent and felt out of place for the momentous history-making occasion. The dress
00:32left fans divided, with one Barack Obama supporter lamenting to The New York Times that they
00:36voted for the Democratic nominee's policies, not his wife's dress. Another detractor complained,
00:42"'I don't know what was worse, that stupid crisscross band around the middle or that
00:46black sort of border coming up from the hem.'"
00:49Others compared the dress to a lava lamp. However, designer Rodriguez defended Michelle
00:53for going against the grain, telling Huffington Post,
00:56"'It was so controversial. For me, it was so exciting to see a woman take a chance and
01:00wear something out of the ordinary. People noticed. It was unapologetically black and
01:04red.'"
01:05When Barack Obama was inaugurated in January 2009, Michelle wore an eye-catching yellow
01:10coordinate. Showcasing a tweed coat and matching dress by indie designer Isabel Toledo, the
01:15first lady evoked the chic style of Jackie Kennedy. In hindsight, that may have been
01:20the problem. Barack's campaign was all about change, as he promised a brighter future for
01:25the American people.
01:26"'The real question is, will our country be better off four years from now? How will we
01:31lift our economy and restore America's place in the world?'
01:35By wearing a retro fit, Michelle appeared to be referencing the America of yesteryear.
01:40Moreover, her glossy tights, the likes of which haven't been fashionable in decades,
01:44made the outfit appear even more outdated. Funny enough, as Grazia Style Director Paul
01:49Reid pointed out to BBC, they didn't even make it through the entire ceremony. Some
01:53Matt Hosiery would have been preferable to elevate the ensemble out of granny-chic territory.
01:58Of course, there was nothing wrong with Michelle's getup on its own, but context is key. It would
02:03have been more apt for her to wear a trendier outfit, something that reflected the progress
02:07that her husband's campaign was espousing.
02:10In March 2009, Michelle Obama posed for her debut official portrait as first lady, but
02:15Something was amiss about her choice of attire. Obama had opted for a chic little black dress
02:20for her photo shoot, and while there was nothing inherently wrong with the outfit, the sleeveless
02:24design was a tad too informal for an official portrait. One can't help but feel that a chic
02:29cashmere cardigan or a long-sleeved wool dress would have hit the mark for Obama's first
02:33portrait. Then again, Obama's fashion faux pas has undoubtedly become an iconic image
02:38of the uncompromising former first lady, so she must have done something right.
02:43Can we talk about your arms?"
02:45My arms?"
02:46Your arms."
02:47Well, certainly."
02:48During Queen Elizabeth II's lengthy reign, numerous world leaders embarrassed themselves
02:52in her company. In Michelle Obama's case, it was her outfit that was at the center of
02:56contention. The reason for the controversy was that Michelle had decided to keep things
02:59super casual during her 2009 visit to Buckingham Palace. Wearing a two-tone dress under a black
03:05cardigan, she was criticized for looking too low-key in the presence of the monarch. Indeed,
03:10it did look like the sort of outfit one might wear to Sunday brunch with pals, as opposed
03:14to being an outfit fit for a meeting with a queen. In fairness, the queen hardly seemed
03:19to care. It's been said that the Obamas were among her favorite presidential couples. Looking
03:23back on the incident, Michelle joked that it was her Jimmy Choo shoes rather than her
03:27cardigan that ruined her outfit that day.
03:29I look back over at her, and then we just had a moment of recognition, both of us realizing
03:36that our feet were hurting."
03:38During her 2009 visit to the U.K., Obama also met with then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown
03:43and his wife, Sarah. Wearing a sparkly bejeweled cardigan, mint skirt, and equally shimmery
03:49shoes, Obama looked rather out of place next to Sarah. In contrast, the prime minister's
03:53wife was decidedly understated in a plain navy outfit and gray tights. One can't help
03:58but feel that the first lady should have worn this show-stopping ensemble to meet Queen
04:02Elizabeth II, and perhaps the monochromatic fit to meet Sarah.
04:06However, some defended the pair's mismatched ensembles. As Vogue's Calgary Avancino told
04:11The Guardian,
04:12"...they were never going to turn up in similar things. Their personalities are obviously
04:15so different. But I think they both are obviously trying to send a very clear message that they
04:19can wear what the average woman would wear and still look great, and that they are not
04:24above it."
04:26While in the U.K. in 2009, Obama paid a visit to the Royal Opera House, where she met with
04:30the venue's performers prior to the G20 summit. However, her outfit, which somehow managed
04:35to be at once casual and formal, appeared out of place at the historic opera house.
04:40Obama wore a fit-and-flare blue dress under a junior Watanabe argyle cardigan, accompanied
04:45by a string of pearls and some matching pomps. Though it showcased the first lady's personality,
04:50the whole thing felt oddly preppy, with some comparing the look unfavorably to a golfing
04:54get-up.
04:55A visit to an opera house, particularly one as prestigious as this London venue, necessitated
05:00a more opulent ensemble. Without the addition of the cardigan, Michelle's outfit would have
05:05been on point, with the elegant dress perfect for the refined setting.
05:08It is possible Obama's decision to dress down was a deliberate choice to appeal to the younger
05:12generation. As communications consultant Ruth Sherman told CBS News the previous year, Obama
05:18appeared to be making a statement via casual attire. She explained,
05:21"...if the Obamas are being considered the next generations of leaders, will the Obamas
05:26reflect that this generation is so much more casual? Are people's tongues going to be wagging,
05:31or is it part of her job to appeal to that generation?"
05:35Acting then-Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House in 2011, Michelle Obama was
05:39a vision in a red gown. But upon closer inspection, Obama fell just short with this look. The
05:45point of the meeting was to bolster trade between the U.S. and China. As such, one might
05:50have expected Obama to don an American designer, or even a Chinese one such as Jason Wu, whose
05:55clothing she had previously worn. Instead, she sported a dress by British designer Alexander
06:00McQueen, a rather baffling decision given the occasion.
06:04She was widely criticized for her stylistic choice. Notably, Oscar de la Renta argued
06:08that wearing a European brand was incongruous with the event. As he told Women's Wear Daily,
06:13"...my understanding is that the visit was to promote American-Chinese trade, American
06:17products in China, and Chinese products in America. Why do you wear European clothes?"
06:22"...nations, including our own, will be more prosperous and more secure when we work together."
06:30In response, Obama told Good Morning America that she was promoting policy, not fashion.
06:35In 2015, Barack and Michelle Obama visited Saudi Arabia following the death of Saudi
06:40King Abdullah. But the first lady seriously missed the mark with her choice of attire.
06:45Michelle wore a colorful blue outfit for the occasion, but she chose not to wear a headscarf.
06:49This led to hefty criticism, with social media users accusing her of failing to show respect,
06:55particularly in light of the king's death.
06:57While foreign visitors were not required to cover their hair with a scarf, some critics
07:01argued that Michelle was being disrespectful by not wearing one. However, others argued
07:05she was sending a clear message.
07:07"...it was a way of telling the Saudis, look, we take women seriously in the United States
07:13and the rest of the world."
07:15It's one thing to accidentally twin with someone at the same event, but twinning with a fictional
07:19character surely isn't a good look. In 2015, Obama showed up to the State of the Union
07:24address in a gray suit that looked oddly familiar. As it turned out, she was sporting
07:28the same Michael Kors suit worn by The Good Wife protagonist, Alicia Florek. Evoking Florek,
07:34the long-suffering wife of a cheating lawyer-turned-politician, isn't exactly a message that a first lady would
07:40want to convey, particularly considering how loving Michelle and Barack Obama's marriage
07:44is in reality.
07:45For his part, Dan Lawson, costume designer for The Good Wife, welcomed Obama's surreal
07:50sartorial choice. He told The New York Post,
07:52"...I was watching the speech and when Michelle Obama came walking out, my first thought was,
07:56wow, she looks great, she always looks great. Then I realized, oh, that's a Michael Kors
08:00suit. Wait a minute, I really know that Michael Kors suit. We used it on the show."
08:06Since leaving the White House, Michelle Obama has showcased some flawless fashion moments.
08:10But not all of her post-FLOTUS looks have slayed. During the book tour for Becoming,
08:15Obama paid a visit to the Para Los Niños Tina and Rick Caruso Early Education Center
08:20in Los Angeles, where she read to schoolchildren, but her outfit was mighty distracting. Obama
08:26donned a double-denim ensemble paired with a white vest and tan pumps. It was an oddly
08:31Y2K getup, evoking Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake's notorious twinning moment at
08:35the American Music Awards in 2001. Sadly, this was the late 2010s, so Obama's outfit
08:40was both years too late and slightly ahead of the Y2K resurgence that came after. In
08:45fairness, it's hard to style denim on denim without looking like Britney and Justin, so
08:50we applaud Obama's effort. And while she didn't exactly slay with the look, it successfully
08:54made us nostalgic for flip phones and extremely low-rise jeans.
08:59To many, the 2024 Democratic National Convention served as an antidote to the vitriol that
09:04has come to encapsulate Donald Trump's rallies. Many at the convention highlighted the idea
09:08of hope in the face of hate, which Michelle acknowledged openly.
09:13"'America, hope is making a comeback.'"
09:19But it's for this very reason that Michelle's outfit felt like a misfire, to say the least.
09:23The former first lady wore a futuristic pantsuit from Moncey's Resort 2025 collection, which
09:29took inspiration from aliens and AI. The sci-fi theme was incongruous with the event, particularly
09:34considering that Trump's 2024 campaign has been routinely described as a dystopian nightmare.
09:40At a trendy luncheon, Michelle would have slayed in this fit. But at an uplifting political
09:44convention, it just felt distracting, evoking an eerie future that's the antithesis of her
09:49rousing message of positivity.