by Mary Tomer
My parents were a little more forward thinking. My mom sort of carved out my future for me, not by saying, “This is what you’re going to do,” but by putting me in the right environments where I could discover what I wanted to do.
By 15 or 16, I decided being a fashion designer was it. I was 16 when I started to design for dolls. I was in boarding school for a long time, and I was dying to do something. I found this job to design for dolls on the side, outside of school, and it became a thing on its own.
Q: Is there anything from designing for dolls that has stayed with you?
A: It’s very different—but the attention to detail. Once you’ve seen something in a miniature scale, you really pay attention to every loose thread. I’m the person that before a show, I’m clipping a loose thread on a model. Though no one will see it, I’m aware of those things. That’s from working in small scale.
Q: Have you always had a vision of the kind of clothes you wanted to make?
A: I didn’t set out to say, “This is who I am.” I’m still discovering that. Season by season, we’re still learning. But I came out with a very specific aesthetic that was always me, something I liked, and, I never saw my woman being anything else.
Q: Will you describe this aesthetic?
A: It’s detail oriented, it’s investment dressing, there’s a timeless element—but it’s youthful. We go on trunk shows, and we can dress a woman who’s in her 40s, and we can dress a woman in her 20s. It’s a piece that can withstand the test of time. There’s detail and quality that I always thought was missing in a lot of today’s clothes. I always felt that old-world couture was so well made, inside and out. Those elements are so great and I wanted to bring that to my work, but do it in a very youthful and modern way.
Q: So for you, craftsmanship and attention to detail are clearly important.
A: I think they’re the most important. You have to see and feel the difference. I think those are important aspects to designer clothes. I think that’s what defines luxury.
Luxury has become something of a diluted term in the last ten years. We had so much of everything. We did have a lot, come to think of it. At one point people could charge so much money for things that weren’t worth that much, and people would believe it because it was “designer,” because it was “luxury.” But what was really luxury? People are forced to think about it now. Is luxury something that’s just really expensive? Or something that holds its value and is worth the price?
Q: For the Inaugural Ball gown, we read Ikram relayed, “it had to sparkle.” From there, how did the dress develop?
A: I had a vision. I said, “This is going to be a white dress, we’re going to do that.” And that’s what I sent. I sent a sketch with a swatch with the embroidery. Ikram said, “Make it.”
We made the fabric. That’s one thing most people don’t see on the screen. It’s so white that you don’t see it. It was really intricate. At one point we were all sitting around the table sewing on the flowers. The whole team was sewing. This had to be one of a kind—so that it was. I really didn’t know it was going to become the Inaugural Ball dress. It was a gown, so I thought it might be.
Q: What was your reaction when you saw the first lady in your gown?
A: I cried my eyes out for an hour. I really did. That was such a moment. It was a moment, and the whole world saw it. And it was a moment because I never expected it. My mom called me in five minutes—from Taiwan—and said, “Oh my God, that is your dress.” She hadn’t known I was making the dress at all. They announced it in Taiwan. It was incredible.
Q: What impact has this experience had?
A: One thing that has changed: up until last year, my extended family had not so much of an idea of what I was doing. But now, in Taiwan, this has become important news. There’s never been a Taiwanese designer that has done this sort of a thing. It has made people re-think the way the art is perceived. I think that’s the most important aspect. It may open doors. Things have changed a lot over the past few years, but I think this has definitely helped. It may pave the road for people who may not have had the opportunity to pursue this sort of career.
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2009
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National Prayer Service
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ON HER FIRST FULL DAY AS FIRST LADY, Mrs. Obama joined her husband and the Bidens to attend a multi-denominational service at Washington National Cathedral. Mrs. Obama wore a bold print dress by Tracy Feith. With a rounded neck, fitted bodice, cummerbund waist, and full skirt, the dress offered a modern twist on a classic 1950s silhouette. The cotton dress fabric, a repeated print of cranes in patches of wisteria, was developed by Kona Bay, a Hawaii-based fabric company.
“It was a real thrill for our ‘little-engine-that-could’ company to see the first lady in Tracy’s dress and to receive such quick recognition,” Tracy Feith’s partner, Susan Winget, told Grazia Daily. “We are beyond flattered.” In the same article, Mr. Feith observed, “[Michelle Obama] likes things that are feminine but somewhat adventurous. She’s not afraid of those things. She’s not letting people just make suggestions.”
The same day, the Obamas hosted an open house at the White House, welcoming people who had volunteered for the campaign, and others who had simply waited at the White House gates with the hopes of getting in. It was a gesture that signaled the openness and inclusiveness the Obamas would bring to their new home.
Kona Bay Fabrics, Emperor Collection II, repeated print of cranes in patches of wisteria.
CHAPTER VI THE WHITE HOUSE
Style and Substance in the White House
While it was unknown how Michelle Obama would embrace her new role as first lady, it was almost certain that she would forge her own unique path. Throughout 2009, the country would see the self-titled “Mom-in-chief” champion a number of social issues—national service, healthy eating, and support for military families—all the while hosting high-profile functions at the White House, soaking in Washington, D.C. culture, and most importantly, caring for her family. She was exemplary of yet another issue she had long championed: helping women to achieve work and family balance.
As Michelle Obama’s influence as first lady grew, so too, did that of her wardrobe—making headlines, shaping retail trends and inspiring women everywhere. For a March 2009 feature interview in Vogue, Michelle Obama told editor-at-large André Leon Talley: “I love clothes. First and foremost, I wear what I love. That’s what women have to focus on: what makes them happy and what makes them feel comfortable and beautiful. If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion.”
In her first months in the White House, Mrs. Obama’s White House style continued to evolve, including an expanded, eclectic range of designers. Adding further variety, Mrs. Obama’s ensembles reflected the diverse roles she had taken on—from glamorous hostess to accomplished speaker to budding gardener. “Michelle, for a lot of us, represents new,” said Joe Zee, creative director for Elle magazine. “A new president, a new era, a new look. You can’t help but embrace the change and energy she has immediately brought to the capital.”
While the clothes told their own captivating story, the intrigue was genuinely the total woman—a first lady of both great style and substance. Her spirit is summed up by the legendary Diane von Furstenberg: “Michelle Obama represents the modern, confident, intelligent woman. Her personality will have a huge effect on fashion.”
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First Lady Official Portrait
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TRADITIONALLY, one of the first tasks completed in a new administration is the unveiling of the official portrait of the first lady. Its importance is largely symbolic, as an illustrative harbinger of things to come; it defines the first lady, and it sets a public tone for the private side of the incoming administration.
In her official portrait, Michelle Obama stands in the Blue Room of the White House, facing the camera straight on. Her posture, along with
her full smile, conveys an openness and accessibility. She wears a black crepe jersey dress, featuring a racer-back cut, by Michael Kors. The dress originated from the designer’s Spring 2009 collection. “Sportswear has never entered the White House before,” said Michael Kors. “Wearing a dress with an athletic inspiration? That’s new.”
Though this was one of the first times Mrs. Obama had chosen Michael Kors for a high-profile event, it would certainly not be the last. Mr. Kors is known for designs that exemplify American, self-possessed chic, executing basics with such care and in luxury fabrics that they immediately become classics—an aesthetic that Mrs. Obama would increasingly embrace.
Mrs. Obama accessorized the gown with a double strand of pearls and Cartier’s Tank Francaise watch in steel. The Cartier Tank watch, designed by a company steeped in French heritage and manufactured in Switzerland, has interesting ties to the United States. Designed in 1917, the first model was presented to General Pershing when he was in Paris after WWI. The shape and name is a reference to the American tanks sent to the battlefields of Europe during the war. Pierre Rainero, style and heritage director for Cartier says, “There was already a link in the birth of the watch with America,” adding, “We are very honored that Mrs. Obama has chosen that watch. It’s such a symbol of elegance and modernity.”
Cartier Tank Francaise steel watch.
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Q&A: MICHAEL KORS, FASHION DESIGNER
Michael Kors has built one of the most successful brands in fashion over the past 30 years, with classic, all-American sportswear at its core. While the first lady tends to favor smaller ateliers, she has worn Michael Kors designs on multiple occasions, including one that will surely become iconic—her official portrait.
Q: As a young man, do you remember style being something you associated with a first lady?
A: Certainly. For me, the overriding visual theme has always been Jackie Kennedy, in all of her different incarnations. She made the best choices in each decade, and it was always her point of view, filtered through whatever was happening in the decade: short and chic and Givenchy-like in the White House, even if Oleg Cassini was making it; in the ‘70s it was her own working girl version of Faye Dunaway in “Network”; and in the ‘80s she became a majestic grand dame. It was always done with simplicity.
Q: Your line celebrates classic Americana fashion. Will Michelle Obama become one of the people you think about while you’re still planning a collection?
A: The way I design, it’s like a crazy Fellni movie in my brain, like in 8 1/2 with all these memories of different women. I tap into storage of memories of women who are friends, who are clients, women who I’ve never met. Anyone from an assistant to a friend to the first lady to Doris Duke—it’s a porridge of all these women. Yes, now Mrs. Obama has entered my lexicon. But I don’t ever design a certain dress for a certain woman. It’s a variety, a group of women that I’m turned on by. And it seems they’re turned on by what we do too.
Q: First Lady Michelle Obama wore your dress for her official portrait. How did you find out, and what was your reaction?
A: I had no idea that was going to happen! I was in London, in the theater, and at intermission my BlackBerry went berserk—like 200 e-mails. Immediately I felt very proud and excited. My first thoughts were on the word elegant. When you hear that word now it can seem so old-fashioned. Let’s be honest, life now is not exactly carefree and elegant. So it can be tricky to look elegant in this day and age. But when I saw that picture, I thought she was the picture of elegance. I thought she looked timeless and timely. I was excited about how well the dress looked, and I also thought she looked really comfortable.
Q: What influence do you think—or hope—Michelle Obama will have on American fashion?
A: Number one, I think the biggest thing is that she’s busy. She’s probably busier than we could imagine. She has kids, she’s traveling, she’s the first lady—yet she still enjoys getting dressed and looking great. So she’s sending out this message that enjoying fashion and looking good doesn’t exclude educated women. She gives off the message that it’s okay to be interested in fashion and taken seriously. But at the same time, I think she’s showing people that you can mix your clothes up, you don’t have to be so rigid in how you get dressed—you can take the same belt and wear it five different ways, five different times.
And I think that she has so many price points in her closet—that’s how modern people dress. That’s exciting and very different. Quite frankly, we haven’t had anyone in the White House like this before.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
A: I love seeing the transformation. I love to see everything come together. It’s like when an orchestra hits a chord…. The right clothes, accessorized the right way, on the right person. Fashion is something that never stands still. And I like the idea that there’s always something new. You think you’ve solved the puzzle, but suddenly it changes. I love the idea of change.
Q: Change? That’s something the Obama’s know about.
A: Exactly. It works in fashion and works in politics.
Speaking at the Time 100 Gala in New York, Michelle Obama wore a square neck tank gown by Michael Kors, paired with a custom corset belt by Peter Soronen, and jewelry by Loree Rodkin.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009
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Lunch at Georgia Brown’s
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ON A BRISK WINTER DAY, First Lady Michelle Obama lunched with Washington, D.C., mayor Adrian Fenty, his wife Michelle, and Jill Biden at Georgia Brown’s, a District restaurant known for its traditional Southern cuisine.
Mrs. Obama dressed in a colorful medley of blues. Her dress, Maria Pinto’s Ella design, was made of Prussian blue cashmere, and paired with a blue-green cardigan and a royal blue patent leather belt. For shoes, Mrs. Obama wore her bottle green Jimmy Choo Glacier pumps from the inauguration.
Her blue tweed overcoat was a J.Crew design, made with an oversize face-framing portrait collar. The asymmetric cut of the dress underneath added an edgy, modern twist to the ensemble. And the mix of colors—from bottle green to Prussian blue to blue-green—infused the outfit with a youthful, spontaneous brand of glamour.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2009
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Kennedy Center Performance
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PRESIDENT AND MRS. OBAMA, accompanied by their daughters, attended a special program at the Kennedy Center: the golden anniversary show of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The troupe is known for merging African American cultural expression with the American modern dance tradition. Photographers were allowed to snap pictures as the Obamas were ushered into a red VIP box decorated with the presidential seal.
Mrs. Obama wore a striking two-tone dress by Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders. Owing to a clever construction, at first glance the dress appeared to be a metallic sheath partially covered by one of Mrs. Obama’s signature cardigans. The matte material created an illusion of a separate garment; it also enhanced the sleek fit of the dress with a slimming effect. A Moschino brooch, made of metallic beads and tulle, finished the look.
Jonathan Saunders, a Scottish-born designer, graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 1999 with a BA in printed textile. From there, he attended Central Saint Martins in London, where he graduated with a master’s degree in 2002. Along with designing for his own label, he frequently consults on the creation of prints for some of the largest fashion houses in Europe. He brings a labor-intensive process to his use of traditional silk-screening methods, sometimes using up to 20 screens per design. In 2003, Saunders was commissioned by Alexander McQueen to create a series of printed textiles, which became McQueen’s celebrated bird-of-paradise prints.
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“When you look back through history at Jackie Kennedy or Frances Cleveland, those were moments when we could feel like we were chic Americans. Michelle Obama is really making us feel like chic Americans again.”
BOOTH MOORE, LOS ANGE
LES TIMES
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In his most recent collections, Saunders has demonstrated his range as a designer, showcasing expertise in clean lines, paneling and piecing, evidenced by Mrs. Obama’s dress from his Fall 2008 collection.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2009
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Ford’s Theatre
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PRESIDENT AND MRS. OBAMA ATTENDED THE REOPENING OF FORD’S THEATRE, the site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. The theater had undergone a $25 million, 18-month renovation, and its reopening ceremony was held on the eve of the 16th president’s 200th birthday. Those in the audience stood and turned to applaud the Obamas as they made their way down the center aisle to “Hail to the Chief.” The president spoke of “honoring the hallowed space” and of how Lincoln’s passion for education and the arts will thrive at the famous building. Actors and artists performed, including violinist Joshua Bell, who opened the show with a traditional spiritual that hadn’t been played since the night Lincoln was shot.
In honor of Lincoln’s bicentennial, Mrs. Obama wore a festive dress by Isabel Toledo. Its feminine silhouette, created by a banded empire waist and a full skirt (worn with a petticoat underneath), was accented as Mrs. Obama moved across the stage. The dress was an older, existing piece by Isabel Toledo that the designer didn’t know Mrs. Obama owned; it had been purchased through Ikram in Chicago at an earlier date. The fabric is an embroidered plaid on black net, with diagonal lines of bronze material that cross the skirt. As an accessory, Mrs. Obama chose her diamond bangles by Loree Rodkin.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009
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Department of Transportation
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ON A TOUR OF FEDERAL AGENCIES, Mrs. Obama spoke to the employees at the Department of Transportation. She wore a large-scale brown and black houndstooth check bolero jacket over a black turtleneck with trousers. The jacket is by Peter Soronen, from his Fall 2008 collection. The short length of the jacket is beautifully balanced by its long, tight sleeves. On her lapel, Mrs. Obama pinned the same brooch she wore to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Kennedy Center: a cluster of metallic beads backed by a circle of silk tulle. The brooch, from Moschino’s Spring 2009 collection, brings an unexpected pop of pattern and texture to the jacket. And its oversize scale is perfectly in proportion with the check of the jacket. Mrs. Obama wore her hair up in a low twist, so the details of the jacket collar and the pin were highlighted.
