Mrs. O

by Mary Tomer

  That is the definitively fashionable Chicago boutique named after its glamorous owner, Ikram Goldman. Aside from Maria Pinto, the brightest fashion influence on Michelle Obama has been Goldman. Ikram expands the fashion possibilities for anyone who shops there. In Chicago, the boutique is known as the place where women can discover their inner chic selves.

  During this time period, Mrs. Obama also began to integrate more readily available, affordable clothing into her wardrobe, appearing for high profile events in ensembles by J.Crew and H&M. On The Tonight Show, she talked of how convenient it was to shop online. But even to off-the-rack or off-the-net clothing, she always added her own personal touch, usually jewelry—sometimes using vintage pieces for a unique look.

  At first, these two fashion styles—cutting edge fashion insiders or retail wear—may seem at odds with each other. In fact, they mirror what has become known in the fashion industry as “high-low style.” It is a democratic approach to fashion that Michelle Obama has famously embraced.

  WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

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  Philadelphia, PA

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  MICHELLE OBAMA AND JILL BIDEN joined Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter for a campaign rally in South West Philadelphia, which drew more than 3,000 people to the grounds of the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center. Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden appeared at ease, sitting on wooden stools as they addressed the crowd.

  “Look at this time as an opportunity for change,” said Mrs. Obama. “In forty days, we get the chance to put Barack Obama in the White House.” The timing of the rally was strategic: onlookers were encouarged to help with a late voter registration effort before the state’s October 6 deadline.

  Mrs. Obama was smartly dressed for the event, wearing a tailored black jacket by Zero + Maria Cornejo, cut in evening raffia fabric. Known for her skilled draping, Maria Cornejo brings her own unique aesthetic to her tailoring as well. As seen in this jacket, minimalist lines—a round neckline, clean placket, and three-quarter length sleeves—create an unfussy, structured piece. The absence of a shoulder seam allows the jacket to follow the body’s natural lines, flattering the shape of the wearer.

  Pairing the jacket with black pants and flats, Mrs. Obama put her personal stamp on the ensemble, adding a patent leather belt at the waist and two oversize, graphic floral pins at the neck. Mrs. Obama, who also owns the jacket in a textured blue wool, would wear the black jacket a second time for a White House event in March 2009.

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  Q&A MARIA CORNEJO, FASHION DESIGNER

  Maria Cornejo is a Chilean-born, UK-raised, New York based fashion designer. Her accent reflects her unique upbringing, revealing hints of Spanish and British in conversation. As a child, she moved with her parents from Chile to London, where she attended school and developed her career as a designer. She later lived for ten years in Paris before relocating, in 1996, to New York, where she opened her store and atelier, Zero + Maria Cornejo, on Mott St. (In 2009, she relocated to a larger space on Bleecker Street, between Lafayette and Bowery.)

  Her clothes have a strong signature and loyal following, known for their geometric reference, thoughtful draping and thorough attention to the female form. First Lady Michelle Obama has become a fan, wearing Zero + Maria Cornejo dresses and tailored jackets over the past several years.

  Q: How did your interest in fashion first develop?

  A: When I was a kid [in Chile], I used to make my doll clothes. My grandmother taught me how to knit on big carpenter’s nails, because my grandfather did construction. I used to sit with her and knit. It was a nice way of doing things quietly. And my aunts used to always be making their own clothes; I was very influenced by them.

  Q: How did fashion school come about?

  A: When I was at school [in England], I started working at a fashion store called Elle, which was quite well known at the time. They sold designer clothes and owned the Issey Miyake boutique in London. My Saturday job was to wash the hangers, get everybody’s lunch and wear all the ugly outfits that nobody was buying because I was young and cute—or so they said to me. I got really interested in it all. I just thought it was fascinating.

  From there, I decided to go to fashion school. I got a diploma in graphics, but geared toward fashion, so I was doing magazine covers, lettering and graphics. I think some of that influence is still in my clothing—the fact that it’s very graphic. Then later, I went into fashion and textiles at Ravensbourne College in London.

  Q: And from there, how did your business develop?

  A: I sold my college collection to Joseph and Whistles [boutiques in London], which was unique at the time. The collection was called “Urban Cowboys Clash in 3-D”; it was denim, bright blue, florescent green, nylon. It was mad. It was all of this denim mixed up with nylon raincoats, mixed up with wool knits.

  I was sewing clothes in my little apartment with no heating, dying zippers in the bathtub, cutting things out on the floor, and getting on the bus from Bricklane to Clapham with boxes full of zippers and buttons. Not very glamorous, but fun.

  Later, I decided to go into business with my partner at the time, John Richmond. So we called it Richmond Cornejo. We had a lot of press. We had a Japanese licensee. Joseph [a major London retailer] opened a store for us in London, first on Bond St. then on Brompton Rd. With the Japanese licensee, we had more than 20 stores by the time I was 23. We were like rock stars in Japan, with hoards of kids asking for our autographs.

  Q: What do you think got you so far, so soon?

  A: The whole scene was very vibrant at the time. Everything was happening together—magazines, music, fashion, retail, and of course, the nightclubs. I think also coming after punk, we were all pretty naive; so we were all just going for it. Most of us in London at the time just wanted to do something interesting. Nobody was really that business minded; it all sort of happened by accident.

  Q: How have the places you’ve lived and spent a lot of time in—Chile, London, Milan, Paris, Tokyo, New York—influenced you?

  A: The main thing, for me, is that it has taught me how to be very insular in a way. You have to be as a designer, in order to have an identity. You can see there’s a little bit of English eccentricity and always a sense of humor. I worked in Japan, and so yeah, my work can be quite minimal. And I love vibrant color, which I suppose could come from my Latin American childhood. I don’t look for these influences in any way, but I’m sure they’re all in here somewhere, and my brain is constantly sorting them and spewing them out again.

  Q: Can you describe your design process?

  A: It always starts with the fabrics. I pick fabrics for their beauty and for the fact that they do something interesting. The fabric takes a shape or drapes in a particular way. Once it’s on the body, it transforms. It’s always about the woman’s body and how to flatter a woman.

  We start with a drawing, usually a little scribble, like a chicken scratching, but then it gets draped and it gets tweaked before being made into a muslin, a sample, and finally a finished pattern. It’s always an evolution. I think that’s why the clothes work, because they’re very much about the form, about the body—it’s not just an abstract idea. I have to say, in order for the clothes to look that laid-back, I torture myself a lot. There’s a lot of torture that goes into getting the perfect dress that looks effortless.

  Q: What’s your approach to tailoring?

  A: I like things with no real shoulder seams usually. I feel like it’s a lot kinder to a woman’s figure. The shoulder follows a natural line. That sleeve that Michelle Obama has been wearing, basically anyone can wear. It’s about where your shape fits into it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got little shoulders or big shoulders, the jacket will look good, and it will make your arms look skinnier and longer.

  Q: What kind of women are attracted to Zero + Maria Cornejo?

  A: I’m going to be really big headed and say:intelligent, independent, free-thinking women who don’t necessa
rily slavishly follow fashion. They buy things because they love them, because something appeals to them in a very individual way. It’s more about a feeling; it’s more about fitting their lifestyle. Once they start wearing the collection, they tend to get hooked.

  Q: What do you think draws Michelle Obama to your clothes?

  A: I think she can probably see that they flatter her shape and that they’re comfortable. That’s the main thing people always say—that they put them on, and they forget that they’ve got them on.

  I think when women feel good, when they’re wearing something that’s comfortable, that makes them look good—they look more sensual, they have more confidence. And I think that’s very empowering.

  I think the whole thing is to have beautiful clothes, but to look like you just threw them on in the morning, forgot about them, and you look cool anyway. I like that.

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  FRIDAY, SEPTERMBER 26, 2008

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  First Debate Oxford, MS

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  ATTENDING THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, Michelle Obama returned to a favorite designer: Thakoon Panichgul. Her choice for the Friday night event, which brought together both the Democratic and Republican party presidential nominees to discuss foreign policy, was Thakoon’s Inside-Out dress from the designer’s Fall 2008 collection.

  The sheath dress received its name for its exposed darts, in white, at the shoulders, neckline, and torso. A white band also runs vertically down each side. At first glance, the dress—with its banded ballet neck, short sleeves, and tapered hemline—may appear simplistic in cut, but its exquisite tailoring provides form-fitting sophistication for the wearer. A raised inset seam also enhances the waist. The silk radzimir fabric is a daring floral print in brown, coral pink, and yellow, with touches of cobalt blue; overlaying the floral print is a subdued latticework pattern. Mrs. Obama kept her accessories to a minimum, letting the strong design and bold pattern capture the eye. Her only embellishment was a brown satin bow pinned diagonally at the collar.

  Continuing with her interest in supporting military families, Mrs. Obama invited a guest to accompany her that evening: Shannon Kendall, whose husband was completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. The two women had met at a family military roundtable event in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2008

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  Detroit, MI

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  MICHELLE OBAMA SHOWED HER POLITICAL SAVVY through her sartorial choices at a “Change We Need” campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan—one of the country’s hardest-hit areas during the 2008 recession. For this downtown rally, Mrs. Obama chose wisely, wearing an off-the-rack summer dress from the Swedish company H&M. The dress cost $34.90.

  Founded in Sweden, H&M is an international retailer known for its cheap-chic apparel—high fashion inspired clothes at affordable price points. Originally, the brand started in 1947 under the name Hennes, which means “hers” in Swedish. In 1968, founder Erling Persson acquired the Stockholm hunting and menswear store Mauritz Widforss and renamed his enterprise Hennes & Mauritz (H&M). Today, there are more than 1,700 H&M stores in 34 countries. Over the years, H&M has collaborated with several well-known designers to produce limited edition collections. The first such collaboration was with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004.

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  “What is compelling about Mrs. Obama’s style is how she wears both high fashion and low fashion– it’s modern, democratic, and, above all, American.”

  ANDREW BOLTON, CURATOR, THE COSTUME INSTITUTE, THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

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  Mrs. Obama’s dress was a timeless cotton sundress with a scoop neck, fitted waist and an A-line skirt. It sported varying horizontal stripes of black, burgundy, white, and taupe; the stripes made the dress a good antidote to summer temperatures, providing a crisp, fresh look. To accent the waist, Mrs. Obama wore one of her favorite accessories: a black patent leather belt.

  H&M sundress.

  TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008

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  Second Debate Nashville, TN

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  THE SECOND PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, was a highly anticipated event. The format was a town hall meeting and, as such, it engaged Senators Obama and McCain with the voters in a new and exciting way. More than 51 million viewers watched the debate, hosted by veteran television journalist Tom Brokaw.

  Michelle Obama attended the debate, sitting next to Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. Mrs. Obama wore a dark red, lightweight wool dress by Narciso Rodriguez. With its deep V-neckline and short sleeves, the dress had a sculptural quality to its fit; Rodriguez had applied an architect’s eye toward the cut and seaming. An exposed, elongated silver zipper in the back added a fashion forward edge to the design. “I like for women to feel confident, sexy, comfortable, and completely themselves when they wear my work,” said Rodriguez.

  Mrs. Obama added three green diamante pins around the neckline, giving a romantic, sparkly touch to the sculptural dress. (As first lady, she would later wear two of these pins when visiting a school in Washington, D.C.) The pins, which resembled ribbon-tied bows, varied in size: the largest one was centered at the bottom of the V-neck, accenting the cut of the neckline; the two smaller pins were placed on either side, drawing attention back to Mrs. Obama’s face.

  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008

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  Third Debate Hempstead, NY

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  FOR THE FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, held at Hofstra University in New York, Michelle Obama wore an iris wool crepe dress, by Maria Pinto. The cut of the bodice creates cap sleeves, which are a youthful complement to the high jewel neckline. At first glance, the dress may appear to be a simple sheath dress, but—like many of Pinto’s designs—there is a nuanced approach to such seeming simplicity. Pinto apprenticed with American designer Geoffrey Beene, known as a modernist and a master technician. “Designing is an architectural problem,” Beene told the New York Times in 1991. Pinto’s training under the designer continues to show in all of her work.

  Like her mentor, Pinto frequently relies on using a bias cut and princess or elliptical seaming to shape the contours of her clothes to the body. Pinto’s pattern cut and seaming bring an effortless fit—and even structure—to wool crepe, a notoriously limp fabric.

  To enhance her style that night, Mrs. Obama pinned three floral brooches by Erickson Beamon over a long strand of pearls. The brooches were made using vintage Bakelite and glass flowers, as part of Erickson Beamon’s Victory Garden collection for Mrs. Obama. Worn as a trio, they recalled scatter pins, popular in the early 1950s. The creative use of accessories added visual interest and depth to the outfit. The feminine, even sentimental, combination of pearls and flowers was made fresh when paired with a dress of such modern, minimalist lines. Mrs. Obama completed her look with Jimmy Choo Glacier pumps in Bordeaux.

  Jimmy Choo Glacier pumps in Bordeaux.

  THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008

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  Pittsburgh, PA

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  SPEAKING AT A CAMPAIGN RALLY in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Michelle Obama wore a dress in a decidedly autumnal palette. In a design from J.Crew’s Fall 2008 collection, the dress featured a bold silk print boatneck top and slim wool flannel skirt. J.Crew named the distinctive print “Abstract rose,” which consists of black brushstrokes over muted peach, deep mustard, and orange flowers.

  The length of the dress was extended with a band of the same silk fabric added to the bottom hem, likely taken from a second piece purchased from J.Crew. (Mrs. Obama wore a skirt in the same material at a later date—the likely source.) Mrs. Obama, who is 5’11”, is said to prefer hems that hit at the knee.

  The finished look included a long, slim cardigan sweater and a large silk flower pin in a vivid shade of tangerine. The pin, made of orange silk strands that encircle a painted acrylic button, is a 1960s piece by Hattie Carn
egie, secured through the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection. Carole Tanenbaum is a Toronto-based, world-renowned collector of vintage costume jewelry. Her carefully curated collection includes more than 15,000 pieces, dating from the Victorian era to the 1980s. “What I love about Michelle Obama is whatever she wears, she wears—it doesn’t wear her,” says Tanenbaum. “It always seems to me that she has fun with what she wears. And I think that’s how she makes her selections—things that charm her, colors that inspire her.”

  With this look, Mrs. Obama combined several of her favorite signatures: bold graphics, a floral motif, a cardigan sweater, and a large, statement brooch.

  1960s era pin by Hattie Carnegie; Acquired through the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection.

  MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008

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  The Tonight Show

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  FOR HER APPEARANCE ON THE TONIGHT SHOW, Michelle Obama joined host Jay Leno for a discussion about fashion, family, and the rigors of suddenly being thrust into an all-watching world. For her highly anticipated visit to the late night television show, Mrs. Obama wore a complete outfit by J.Crew. Her color palette was one of optimistic yellow, starting with the J.Crew Crystal-button colorblock cardigan in silver honey.

  Underneath the cardigan, Mrs. Obama wore J.Crew’s Italian Deco silk tank top, with its printed paillette pattern in bold yellow, burnt honey, and dark brown. Her skirt was J.Crew’s Pembridge-dot pencil skirt in yellow gold. The sheen of the skirt fabric provided a lustrous look to the outfit and nicely balanced the cardigan, while the woven dots of the skirt fabric played off the curvy deco pattern of the top. Completing the circular motif was a large amber and silver-toned crystal brooch that pinned the cardigan top together. For shoes, Mrs. Obama wore Jimmy Choo Jade pumps in gold metallic watersnake.

  When asked about the provenance of her outfit by Leno, Mrs. Obama replied, “Actually this is a J.Crew ensemble. We ladies, we know with J.Crew—you can get some good stuff online.” Sharing more about her shopping habits, Mrs. Obama added, “When you don’t have time, you’ve got to click.” Mrs. Obama’s choice of J.Crew attracted an influx of interested shoppers to the brand’s Web site. All three of the items worn on The Tonight Show sold out within a matter of days.