USA Today’s Maria Puente has proven herself to be a eager member of the Michelle Obama Fawn Club. Wednesday’s Life section advertised again that the First Lady enjoyed a "meteoric rise as a fashion icon." This time, Puente celebrated new books oozing over Michelle. The story began:
A chic sheath dress in a bold color — that is the unmistakable Michelle Obama look, one she has made her own as first lady of the United States, according to two new books celebrating Obama's fashion sense.
Her image is everywhere you look these days: Last week, Obama was given a Board of Directors' Special Tribute Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which noted her "meteoric rise as a fashion icon." Last month, she was in Paris, where she once again shone next to super-chic French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
But she especially stands out these days in bookstores, striking a pose on Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion by Mandi Norwood (William Morrow, $19.99 ) and on Michelle Obama: First Lady of Fashion and Style by Susan Swimmer (Black Dog & Leventhal, $9.95). There's even a Michelle Obama 2010 wall calendar featuring 20 color pictures of her ($15.99 at Amazon.com).
Did Puente and USA Today have to make sure the reader knew they should order their Michelle calendars at Amazon? The two authors Puente featured are even more fawning than Puente:
"All (in the fashion world) agree that this is a moment in fashion thanks to Michelle Obama," says Swimmer, fashion features editor at More magazine. "Her confidence and creativity are changing the way women are looking at clothing — it's what I call the 'Michelle effect.' "
And this lady is certainly bowing deeply:
Norwood says Obama deserves a "big, fat, juicy hurray" for making it OK for serious, professional women to indulge their love of fashion and accessories.
"There's no messing about with Michelle Obama — she's got a very bold and approachable style sensibility, something we can all relate to," Norwood says. "She's like us — on our really best day."
[Image: Jezebel.com]
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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Barf bag alert!!
June 26, 2009 - 07:09 ET by motherbeltMichelle Obama is a fashion icon because they have decided to treat her as one.
Period.
And what the heck is "a moment in fashion" ???
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Deconstruction
June 26, 2009 - 07:21 ET by ApodicticGood is bad. Right is wrong. What you see is really not what you are seeing. Michelle Antoinette is a fashion queen. It's all media-driven deconstructionsim, vis-a-vis cult of personality.
My wife especially liek the
June 26, 2009 - 07:50 ET by T-Bone MassMy wife especially liek the birthday cake dress she wore in England
Somebody wake me up!!!
June 26, 2009 - 09:12 ET by joonbug50Ok, somebody wake me up! I must be having a nightmare 'cause I agree with your wife, that birthday cake dress was the most ridiculous thing I have EVER seen in my entire life. Even beats the bird dress someone wore to the Oscars one year. How can anyone call that fashion. HUGE THUMBS DOWN!!
Agreed! Hasn't she heard
June 26, 2009 - 09:28 ET by motherbeltAgreed!
Hasn't she heard the phrase "less is more"? That top alone was enough, but to then slap a cardigan AND a belt on top of it was overkill. (With another outfit she actually had on TWO cardigans and a belt!)
She's like the starlets who wear fur boots with halter tops and sundresses in the summer. Whatever she wears, it will be lauded as "high fashion."
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
I think this story qualifies
June 26, 2009 - 08:11 ET by Tom PaineI think this story qualifies as a 3 bagger...
"And what the heck is "a
June 26, 2009 - 08:46 ET by sic721"And what the heck is "a moment in fashion" ???"
Ever see Rodney Dangerfield's 'Easy Money'? Remember the "Regular Guy" look? THAT'S a 'moment in fashion'.
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."--Mark Twain
Laughing-stock
June 26, 2009 - 07:37 ET by 10ksnookerBuy a lot, it's cheap, looks cheap.
Sick to my stomach
June 26, 2009 - 07:51 ET by averageschmoeI am sick to my stomach reading this early in the morning.
Thanks!
am i the only one who, upon
June 26, 2009 - 07:50 ET by mister josepham i the only one who, upon first coming to the NB page and quickly looking at the page, thought that was an image of Michael Jackson?
how does Obama afford to buy her clothes on his salary??
June 26, 2009 - 07:57 ET by spmcintyrethere is no spoon...
She's like us...
June 26, 2009 - 08:28 ET by grumpyoldbNot bloody damn likely. If my wife acted like ANY member of the Obama family, I'd be divorced before she could say "date night"..... What a crock of......
No one Smarter, More Beautiful
June 26, 2009 - 08:58 ET by allanfYes all women should take note. There is no woman smarter, more beautiful or more poised than Michelle Obama. The rest of you women are inferior to her.
Fashion Police!!!
June 26, 2009 - 09:08 ET by BlondeI'm calling the fashion police....anyone who thinks haut couture consists of granny's bed coverlet (innauguration gown), fake eyelashes before dark (innauguration day), puce gloves (innauguration day) mismatched ribbon sweaters and whatnot (England), $500 keds for anything, and huge belts showing off a huger butt, is not only lying.....they are criminally full of it.
I have not seen one thing MO has worn (including her fake Barbara Bush pearls) that I would remotely consider.
Never have so many worked so hard to promote one who is so fashion deficient.
Fawn Factor = Four Buicks.
I hope he fails, too.
OMG, B.... I had forgotten
June 26, 2009 - 09:33 ET by motherbeltOMG, B.... I had forgotten about the puce gloves!! LOL...I remember thinking WTH!!! The cardigans over everything (maybe she hasn't been working out and her arms aren't as "toned and burnished" as usual?) on anyone else would be called a big no-no...as would the belts...
I commented elsewhere that they made her look very short-waisted and her behind look like she was hauling a trailer....
I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson
Puce
June 26, 2009 - 09:41 ET by BlondeJust the name of the color ought to be enough of a warning for even the fashion-obtuse among us. Seriously!
Yesterday, Fox did a piece about being a little overweight was a good thing...and of course Megyn laughingly called it "junk in the trunk"....natch I thought of my friend the Duchess of Duct Tape.
As for the cardigan thing, I suspect Michelle O (she and the fashionistas obviously wish it meant Onassis) is trying to claim it, and that stupid wide belt (seriously, doesn't anyone have the guts to tell her it makes her behind look huge?) as some sort of signature look. To which I say, twin sets look cute on teenagers and girls Sasha & Malia's age. Middle aged women, not so much.
The woman obviously wouldn't know fine tailoring and a well fitted suit if it walked up to her and said hello at Saks.
I hope he fails, too.
Not puce
June 26, 2009 - 10:53 ET by StarAZChartreuse-ish.
Blonde...
June 26, 2009 - 18:07 ET by Kat Outta the BagWhen I told my friends I thought her inauguration "gown" looked like a chennile bedspread, they thought I was being silly. Thank you for verifying it wasn't just me!
hehehe...
June 26, 2009 - 19:12 ET by katainkentseriously who couldn't. My parents had one on their bed for nearly 15 yrs.
___________________________________________
Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past - George Orwell - 1984
Fixed it for ya
June 26, 2009 - 09:21 ET by sic721"Last month, she was in Paris, where she once again, with angry look on her face, stuck out like a sore thumb next to super-chic French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy."
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."--Mark Twain
ya beat me to it ;-)
June 26, 2009 - 10:08 ET by wizardjrI had exactly the same thought when I read that bit of unctuous crap praising Warfina's day as the "before" version and Carla as the "after" version.
Carla routs Michelle
June 26, 2009 - 10:32 ET by easygoerThe writer of the article is nuts. In the photo, Carla Bruni looks terrific. Michelle can't come close. Just look at the difference between how they walk, let alone their figures and faces. Bruni is feminine. Now, I know Michelle is not a former professional model but she strides like a man. Didn't the Obamas snub the Sarkozy's dinner invitation? Michelle must know deep down that she pales in comparison to Bruni. Maybe she only wanted to do the obligatory photo ops and nothing more. Could Michelle's jealousy be a reason for President Obama to snub the most pro American French president ever? She looks more masculine than he does. Maybe she does wear the pants in the family!
MO and her fashion remeinds
June 26, 2009 - 09:26 ET by Dan The Man 2MO and her fashion remeinds me of an I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel are dying to have original Parisian outfits. Ricki and Fred make their own, see here, out of lampshades and burlap hoping to teach the girls a lesson. Only the designers see the designs and copy them, a classic Lucy romp.
MO reminds me of Ethel and Lucy running around in those burlap creations and the media are the Paris designers. Basically MO can do no wrong. She does have some hard features remiscent some of the hardened street whores I see around where I work. That thousand yard stare and mean bulldog look.
M'chell Looking for Work
June 26, 2009 - 10:33 ET by slickwillie2001I posted this in another thread yesterday, but it's a must-read:
A First Lady Who Demands Substance: http://www.washingtonpost.com
"For weeks, Michelle Obama had been telling her staff and closest confidantes that she wasn't having the impact she wanted. She is a woman of substance, with a background in law, public policy and management, who found herself relegated to role model in chief. The West Wing of the White House -- the fulcrum of power and policy -- had not fully integrated her into its agenda. She wanted more. So, earlier this month, she changed her chief of staff, and now she's changing her role."
I would have called it 'Angry Black Woman demands more of a role in government even though she is unelected, unconfirmed, and unqualified.'
Vera Baker
June 26, 2009 - 10:35 ET by sevenDidn't michelle have influence sending Obama's gal pal out of town? She was trim and good lookin
Newsbusters had the story on Vera.
Warning Warning
June 26, 2009 - 11:27 ET by slickwillie2001Vera Baker must not be discussed in public! Warning bells going off in the White House. Still in Martinique as far as I know. Maybe bimbo eruption management will be one of M'chell's new roles.
We could give her a shovel
June 26, 2009 - 10:37 ET by BlondeApparently (if you believe all the four buick coverage of her garden) she's good with a shovel....her husband can grant her one of those "shovel ready" jobs, since he's so fond of (not) running things.
She's a lousy fashion plate, BTW.
I hope he fails, too.
Being a mother is so... lacking in substance
June 26, 2009 - 10:40 ET by SickofLibsBut since she's such the fashion plate, maybe she should consider her own clothing line; that could occupy some of those lonely, unfilled hours.
Czar Michelle
June 26, 2009 - 10:40 ET by G. MayMaybe she's jockeying for Sec'y of State in a few years.
Don't know why she doesn't just ask her hubby for a political appointment, he hands 'em out just like any other pol would.
Hope and Change!
Or maybe she could ask for a czarship. Those seem to be all the rage these days since there's no accountability or vetting process.
She also
June 26, 2009 - 10:57 ET by StarAZReportedly, she also told Axelrod and the other rods to call her back when she called. Yeah. I almost liked that! Now, go try on more kinda offbeat clothes...
Ugh
June 26, 2009 - 10:42 ET by Spiker"She's like us- on our really best day!"
This woman sounds like she's 12 years old with spit flying out of her braces. She probably follows Michelle around texting her fellow journalists "OMG she is like soo cool I wish she was my BFF"
Not my superest bestest day
June 26, 2009 - 10:55 ET by StarAZI have a mirror.
Hope for all of us
June 26, 2009 - 12:07 ET by RousseI can't stand Michelle Obama either, but she's made the best of her figure and height (with lots of help). She's tall and gawky. She was never taught how to walk gracefully, and she's so tall that she's afraid of wearing heels unless she absolutely has too. So how many dressy things can you wear with flat shoes? No many. She hates wearing pantyhose and so would I if my legs where that long. Her arms are so long that unless she buys her shirts in the mens department, her chances are nil of finding a blouse or shirt with sleeve long enough---that's why she goes sleeveless. Stretchy knit are her logical choice.
Laura Bush had a beautiful wardrobe, but the fashion industry couldn't say anything nice about her or her style lest it impute credit to her husband. Hillary Clinton is shaped like a fireplug, and it took her a long time to settle into her style. Certainly the industry never gushed over Hillary either, exept to comment on her pantsuits, which covered up those tree-trunk legs of hers.
You better believe MO is hope and change for Madison Avenue. If they can make Michelle look good, there is hope for all of us.
And whoever created that graphic is the pink "Jackie" style is just plain mean, since that's what Jackie was wearing when her husband was killed.
Oh enough already...
June 26, 2009 - 12:53 ET by PrairieSkywith the endless, breathlessly drooling commentary about Michelle Obama and what she wears...It's past being nauseating folks...
"The problem is not that people are taxed too little...the problem is that government spends too much." ~President Ronald Reagan
Oh Yeah!
June 26, 2009 - 21:12 ET by NorthCoasterGag me with a wooden spoon!
Memo to the MSM re: Michelle
June 26, 2009 - 21:15 ET by nkviking75Please, MSM, please stop trying to make Michelle the black Jackie Kennedy. That turkey won't fly.
One more thing: Attention cable channel TLC. The First Lady's sense of style cries out for a Very Special "What Not To Wear".
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Ah, the benefits of cosmetic surgery
June 27, 2009 - 01:01 ET by ozarkianEver see the old pics of MO before the various face implants, sculpting, and skin lightening were done? And before the stylist and trainer were hired?