The role of First Lady has been constantly redefined Administration by Administration. After all, there are no constitutional duties that are expected from this role, and the First Lady can be as involved as she wants to be in pressing issues that would help push the agenda of the President forward.
The importance of this role has grown significantly since Jackie Kennedy showed the world how to play politics using soft diplomacy tactics, which involved for her everything from speaking Spanish fluently during her Latin American tour, and having an expansive knowledge of art and fashion that allowed her to bond over a wide range of things during official visits with other spouses. Amidst the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Jackie Kennedy was an incredible asset to the administration.
Michelle Obama was a First Lady who, in her words, assumed the role of “mother-in-chief” first. Ever since she left the White House almost a decade ago, she has talked about the challenges that she faced navigating the important role of being a First Lady, but also the challenges that she faced by being quickly defined by others before she had a chance to define herself. This is when she quickly began to use fashion as a tool of communication to strengthen the connection with the American people and express who she really is.
Without further due, let’s dive into the fashion journey of Michelle Obama, the lessons we can learn from it, and the thoughtful process that went behind some of these looks.
Michelle Obama has publicly spoken about how her mother was a mentor and a close friend of hers in so many ways. When retired, she lived in the White House and helped raise her granddaughters, hoping to help make their lives “as normal as possible”. The relationship between Michelle Obama and her mom is very relevant to this dress, because her mother was a seamstress, as other women from previous generations of her family. Obama said that she “designed” her dress in her mind and went to buy the fabrics and patterns with her mom, who helped her bring the vision to life. “I was thinking of a champagne color. What did I know about champagne at the time?” Michelle Obama recalled in an interview with Elle’s editor-in-chief Nina Garcia.
The Inauguration Ball
The first day of the presidency is not just the first day that the country and the entire world sees the new first couple arrive at the White House. As the President gets sworn in at the steps of the US Capitol, it becomes official. A new era is about to begin. The clothes are carefully analyzed by anyone and everyone who has an opinion, and become part of the historical archives of American history.
Michelle Obama knew the stakes and influence that her platform could bring for new and underrepresented designers. She understood that fashion is an opportunity not just to express oneself but also to support this talent, communicate messages, and build connections non-verbally.
With all of this in mind, Obama chose a Jason Wu gown for her Inauguration Ball in 2008. A white-shoulder silk chiffon dress with Swarovski crystals. Jason Wu was a young American designer whose designs inspired Michelle Obama through her tenure, and they worked together on different occasions, including the following Inauguration Ball in 2012, and the Inauguration of 2017, when she left the White House for good.
State Dinner with Angela Merkel
In what once was the Rose Garden of the White House, the Obamas received Chancellor Angela Merkel, where President Obama presented her with the Medal of Freedom.
As Michelle Obama navigated these years in the White House, she was often finding herself seeking what Aristotle defined as the golden mean: that common middle ground between two sides.
On one hand, the role of the First Lady demanded formality, a certain level of authority, patriotism, and a sometimes heavily sexist expectation around the role.
On the other hand, she and many people who supported her were expecting her to be creative, to push the boundaries. In a way, to show the world her personality, creativity, joy, and charisma through clothes that accurately represented her style.
For this State Dinner, Michelle Obama wore an ivory shimmery gown by Naeem Khan; these gowns retailed for $5,000 -$15,000 from 2011, and so the primary criticism of this gown was the price, but when the First Lady showed up in J.Crew and other mall brands, she was attacked for not dressing like a “First Lady.”
Given the high stakes of the dinner, the tremendous presence of international press and the historical transcendence of the photographs taken as Angela Merkel would receive the Medal of Freedom, it made sense that Michelle Obama would choose a shimmery high fashion gown for this occasion.
Democratic National Convention 2012
The role of the First Lady can often be described as walking on eggshells, because since First Ladies are technically not federal employees, which means they are not getting paid, their actions are seen under a microscope. What are they wearing? Is the jewelry too ostentatious, or is it too cheap-looking, and what kind of message does it send to people in the USA and around the world? If everything is very carefully curated, is this First Lady too self-absorbed, narcissistic, and what is she actually doing for the country? And if she is doing something for the country, who does she think she is? The president?
The Democratic National Convention is one of the largest events with the largest audiences before the election, where presidential candidates, surrogates, celebrities, and many high profile figures deliver powerful speeches that transcend screens and very often become a determining pitch for voters to decide the future of political figures.
With this information in mind, Michelle Obama’s dress for the DNC in 2012 could not be an afterthought. It wouldn’t be just her supporters who would be listening to her speech, but also independent, undecided voters and her opponents. Her sleeveless dress was designed by Tracy Reese. The thick brocade fabric was pink with a gradient into a teal blue in the hem with highlights of gold. The colors are variations of the American flag: the pink is a variation of the red, the teal of the blue, and the gold brings it all up together.
Her Author Era
Much has been said and written about why Michelle Obama didn’t wear braids while she was in the White House. She was carefully waiting for the right moment, evaluating it day by day. It wasn’t until she left the White House and she began promoting her second book that she showed up to the public with braids. It’s not that she was changing her look; it’s just that she was going back to her roots after serving the country for eight years and watching her daughters grow up in the White House. Michelle Obama was now having fun in a celebration of literacy, and her clothes showed it.
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The DNC 2024
Fast forward to the 2024 elections, when optimism was rising. Michelle Obama was no longer coming to the stage on the primary character of being the wife of the candidate. This time, she was supporting the first Black woman to secure a Presidential nomination in U.S. history. She talked about the career, experience, and heart that Kamala Harris has brought to the country during her work through the decades, but she also talked about the attacks, the division, the quick stereotyping, and the ruthless and vicious lies that were pointed against Harris, in the same way that they had been pointed out to her family for several years.
“Who is going to tell him that the job he is seeking might as well be one of those Black jobs?” Michelle Obama stated.
Her clothing selection for this public appearance was outstanding. A crisscross jacket with tailored sleeves and matching trousers that brought a futuristic appeal to an American and traditional uniform that was empowering, flattering, and dominant. Michelle Obama was one of the most consequential First Ladies in the White House, but in order to do so, she had to wear soft colors and play the role of the wife and the mother to the mainstream media. This way, she focused on the transgenerational garden in the White House to grow organic food, and the nutrition program in schools to confront malnutrition.
At the DNC, she didn’t have to play any roles or put on any masks. By this time, the country knew that she was a First Lady, a wife, a mother, a lawyer, and a best-selling author. She presented herself to the world the way she is, with a braided ponytail, a futuristic pantsuit, a charming smile, and a persuasive speech that was one a highlight of the entire convention.
Michelle Obama has used and continues to use fashion as a communication tool to build bridges, move masses, persuade people, make connections, push agendas, and celebrate the communities around.
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