"She's someone who has
proven that you can care about looking great, and take risks in that
regard, and also be an incredibly well-spoken, intelligent person who
takes action and gets behind issues," said Leah Chernikoff, managing
editor of style blog Fashionista.com.
As she stands on the brink of another four years as first lady, her leadership and values should get more attention
than the ease with which she transitions from slacks and cardigans to
cutting-edge designer gowns. But to minimize the influence of her
sartorial choices deprives the rest of us of an opportunity to learn
from them, fashion consultants say.
In an image-conscious
society, Michelle Obama
embodies the importance of honing a signature
style and remaining true to it, said Mikki Taylor,
editor-at-large of Essence Magazine and author of "Commander-in-Chic:
Every Woman's Guide to Managing Her Style Like a First Lady." Developing
a personal style that fits our lives and our bodies frees us from
worrying about what to wear and lets us focus on what really matters.
"She teaches us that to
be a commander-in-chic of your life you don't have to spend a lot of
money. It's not about becoming someone else; it's about becoming your
best self."
As a style icon, she has
the ability to inspire the public in an accessible way that one-wear red
carpet fashion doesn't come close to approximating.
"When you look at red
carpet you're stargazing, but when you're looking at Mrs. Obama you're
taking notes," Taylor said. "We don't have time to stress getting
dressed any more than the first lady does so I think it's really
important to have wardrobe that you can count on that works for you."
Her outfits emphasize
fashion and function, reflecting her broader platform of healthy and
active living, said decorative arts historian Carmela Spinelli, chair of
the Savannah College of Art and Design's fashion department. When she
bares her arms for a gym class with schoolchildren, she makes headlines
on the politics page and the style section, inspiring Americans to hit
the floor for push-ups and reconsider sheaths under cardigans.
"It's not just great for
the fashion industry, but also great for helping us get out and move by
showing that the body is just as important as the moment in fashion,"
Spinelli said.
Her support for emerging
designers of diverse backgrounds and influences has bolstered the
fashion industry's bottom line while reflecting the country's diverse
cultural landscape, Spinelli said.
"When I think about
Michelle Obama and how she has embraced young designers and how she is
very comfortable with color and texture, it's a brilliant metaphor for
the diversity of 21st century America," she said.
What Michelle Obama wears also matters because it's history, said Nicole Phelps, executive editor of Style.com.
"Fifty years from now,
or 100 years from now, people will understand this era through pictures
of her, the same way that Jackie Kennedy's pillbox hats represent the
1960s for us now," she said.
As rarefied as her
address at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is, Michelle Obama's basic look is
not difficult to obtain, say fashion insiders. They offered some tips to
cultivate a signature style not unlike the first lady's.
Develop a personal style that accentuates the positive
Owning your personal
style makes shopping easier because you can do so without feeling
beholden to trends. Sticking to what flatters you also helps you dress
with confidence each morning without feeling the need to seek approval
from others.
"Every woman in America
knows that FLOTUS has great arms; that's because she knows it and she
shows them off in sleeveless dresses," said Phelps of Style.com.
Michelle Obama is tall
and statuesque but she's not the typical model size. Yet she looks great
in whatever she wears because she has figured out what works for her
body and lifestyle and stays true to her personal style, said celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch.
"She takes chances and
tries different things, but she always stays true to herself in trying a
new designer or a new color," he said.
Be fabulous and frugal by mixing high and low fashion
Even if you can't afford
designer clothes, Obama's fast-fashion skirts, sheaths and dresses
accessorized with a belt or cardigan show how you don't have to spend
lots of money to look good.
It also goes back to
staying true to a style that fits her body and lifestyle, whether she's
stepping out of Air Force One in a Target dress or making a grand
entrance in a floor-length gown at a White House state dinner.
"She looks equally
well-dressed whether she's in Target or a Talbot sheath or Michael
Kors," said Taylor. "I don't know any other first lady you could see on
TV one day and buy (what she wore) in a store the next."
Part of what makes
Michelle Obama so relatable is that she wears designer clothes but mixes
them with pieces from J. Crew and other mall outlets, often in the same
outfit, said Chernikoff of Fashionista.com.
"That's an easy takeaway for all of us -- buy the Calvin Klein skirt and wear it with a Gap sweater," she said.
Build a timeless wardrobe of signature pieces so you can shop your closet
The first lady is known
for working the same dress, skirt or cardigan on multiple occasions by
mixing and matching pieces, Taylor said. She achieves this by building a
bankable wardrobe of flared pants, pencil skirts and cardigans that
work for her in a pinch, freeing her from the need to follow trend
"Being comfortable in
your own skin is not about following trends but setting them," Taylor
said. "A woman who knows how to dress well shows wisdom and restraint
and doesn't give into the fashion insecurity of thinking you need a new
dress for each season."
True, much of Michelle
Obama's wardrobe consists of expensive, quality designer clothing. But
spending more on items made to last can cost less over time and
reinforce the idea of developing a sense of style and staying true to
it, said Spinelli of Savannah College of Art and Design.
"The idea of disposable
fashion is costing us more than we know, so it's not a bad thing to
teach people to buy something good and keep it for a while instead of
throwing it out."
Don't be afraid of colors and prints
Obama has embraced mixed
patterns, textures and vivid colors, but her confident fashion sense
allows her to mix it up with authority.
By wearing watercolor
sheaths under embellished cardigans to talk to schoolchildren about
healthy eating, or textured floral dresses to meet heads of state, she
shows that it's not frivolous to express yourself through fashion while
doing the serious work of the first lady of the United States
"She shows us that you can have fun getting dressed up and still be taken seriously and move issues forward," Chernikoff said.
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