Oscar de la Renta Slams Michelle Obama's Buckingham Outfit As Major Designers Feel Ignored

While Michelle Obama has made lesser known designers like Jason Wu, Thakoon, and Isabel Toledo household names by wearing their labels repeatedly--the first lady has worn Jason Wu at least three times on her European trip alone--WWD asks where the love has gone for big name designers like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren. Bridget Foley writes that it would be a great boost to a fashion industry in economic crisis.

And it sounds like some designers are getting downright cranky.

Scroll down for excerpts or keep reading the password-protected story.

"American fashion right now is struggling," says Oscar de la Renta. "I think I understand what [Obama and her advisers] are doing, but I don't think that is the right message at this particular point....I don't object to the fact that Mrs. Obama is wearing J. Crew to whatever because the diversity of America is what makes this country great. But there are a lot of great designers out there. I think it's wrong to go in one direction only."

He also took a jab at the outfit the first lady wore to meet Queen Elizabeth: "'You don't...go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater.'"

Donna Karan took a more positive tone:

"I hope and believe that this is just a moment," says Karan. "And I hope to be able to dress her, and not only dress her but address her, sit down -- I'm interested in her totality as a woman."

And Vera Wang also weighed in:

"I love seeing young designers and their vision and how they grow and all of that," she says. "On the other hand, of course, I wish she would consider some of us, because I think we also have contributions to make."

Do you think Michelle Obama should branch out and wear the bigger luxury labels?

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Comments

[MakersMark]

03:15 PM on 04/15/2009

This is the first time I have clicked into this article, I knew it would piss me off and I was right! Who cares what these people think?

[NonaG]

07:58 PM on 04/13/2009

What a nerve!!! Haven't these people made enough money selling their over price clothes to toothpicks???

How arrogant to get all in a tizzy because the woman dares to wear what the hell she likes.

[Azaara]

05:19 PM on 04/13/2009

As a growing jewelry designer trying to keep my business afloat, I found Mr. de la Renta’s comments ridiculous. Just because he and select few others have a platform to speak from because they have the dollars required to advertise in big name publications does not give them the right to speak on anyone’s behalf but their own. The audacity for Mr. de la Renta to speak on my behalf or that of my peers as it relates to our First Lady’s fashion sense and what she should wear when meeting the Queen of England is galling.

Mr. de la Renta claims that it is “wrong to go in one direction”, but I am confident that we would not have heard him make that sort of comment if the direction in which she was going was his collection. Even if she had gone in the direction of other big name designers, we likely would not have heard anything from him as he would have had the wrath of such designers splashed over the pages of every fashion magazine for making such a ludicrous comment!

The First Lady’s choice of “small name designers” and the economic impact of others buying smaller designer lines is a breath of fresh air. I would think her choice of selecting one of them would give as great a “boost to the economy” as supporting “big name designers”. Thank you, Michele Obama, and good for you for recognizing the rest of us!

Josef Arzili, Azaara.Com

[pyrojen]

04:04 PM on 04/09/2009

Uh... maybe this Harvard Law-educated mother of two has more important things to do with her time than go shopping for couture fashions?

Good grief.

[StJames]

02:59 PM on 04/09/2009

I am so proud of Michelle Obama. As far as I'm concerned she could wear a gunny sack and look just fine to me. She is a woman of substance unlike so many of the women these designers dress. That Oscar would dare to criticize Mrs. Obama for wearing a cardigan is ludicrous. Perhaps he should consider the fact that Mrs. Obama is gracious and tactful and no doubt wanted to dress in a manner than would not outshine the Queen...who is not known for her sense of style. Who carries a purse to meet the First Lady of the United States of America? The lesser known American designers are exactly who should be dressing this First Lady of the People!

[Shera42]

02:47 PM on 04/09/2009

I wish I could see this is one of the most ridiculous articles I've seen. Unfortunately when it comes to articles about well-known females, it seems this is the type of idiocy it always boils down to... appearance. Of course, if she had shown up to the palace wearing a t-shirt & sweat pants I could understand all the criticism. But she looked plenty polished. She looked just fine. Not only that, but she was meeting the queen, who was dressed at the same level. Was she supposed to wear a ball gown and upstage her at a casual tea date? They looked perfectly matched and polished. And she didn't take $200,000 to buy a whole new designer wardrobe using taxpayer money. Honestly, if all she cared about was wearing the biggest names in design and buying $5000 purses and $800 high heels, etc., etc., I really think she'd seem a lot more out of touch than she is. Bravo, I'm proud to have you as our first lady.

Honestly, this critique is almost as dumb as when they criticized Obama for not wearing a full suit when he did that interview in his home on football Sunday. I think it's fine if designers want to say, "I'm envious and I'd love to dress her." Of course, you're envious. But to bash her, and then whine and say you should be the one doing it. You're petty and you deserve to be boycotted for it.

[jmpfjoy]

08:45 AM on 04/09/2009

I have a question here while we're on this topic, and it's something I've always wondered about.

I have watched some of the fashion shows for major designers in the past. Does anybody actually wear that weird stuff? It seems so... ugly, I guess.

Some of it is so outlandish that I can't imagine any woman wearing it.

Just wondering, I'm a Target girl myself.

[ScreenParty]

03:55 AM on 04/09/2009

Ok, I do not read this section of HuffPo, but I just couldn't resist the title this time...

Quoting from the article:

Donna Karan took a more positive tone:

"I hope and believe that this is just a moment," says Karan. "And I hope to be able to dress her, and not only dress her but address her, sit down -- I'm interested in her totality as a woman."

Are you kidding me? Who does she think she is? She is nothing more than a jumped-up seamstress and she thinks the First Lady should take the time to "address" her? Really? And just what has she got to offer someone like Michelle Obama? Unless she is using her fashion business to feed the hungry, then Michelle should tell her to take a hike. I hear the recently bailed out wall street mavens are in need of a good dressing down... but then maybe that isn't the right context for someone of Donna's talents, eh?

(I told you I don't read the STYLE section! Fashion... ackk thhhpppt!)

[fivecats]

01:37 AM on 04/09/2009

Hmm, I notice that the Queen of England was quite taken with Mrs. Obama. Perhaps the warmth and sincerity of Mrs. Obama's personality meant more than the cost of her clothes. Mrs. Obama has a great sense of style and I thought her outfit was very appropriate. If Mrs. Obama was wearing the Oscar de la Renta stuff, she would be criticized for wearing over expensive designer clothes in today's poor economy. Better to be a little "underdressed" than "overdressed"; just read your Emily Post.

[nightmax]

06:47 PM on 04/07/2009

Many of these so called designers just want to put a plug in aboout the fact that the First Lady isn't wearing something they made and because she has elected to use a store that is fashionable, affordable, and quite chic, they have the audacity of being bothered. Stop being so damn hiprocritical!
The United States is in a disaterous condition right now. I cannot belive that someone like Oscar de la Renta would even hazard a comment about any First Lady. At 48 I can remember a few First ladies he's dressed and their outfits were disasters! I find First Lady Michelle Obama to be stylish, chic! How dare you!! If you have such a hard time figuring this out, understand that people are not stupid. When disaster strikes, we re-evaluate what's important, and what's not. Spending a lot of money right now, just isn't where its at anymore. Fashion is just not where it is anymore. There are more important things to discuss than the color dress someone wears, what under garments went with what and such. We are in the middle of a long war, we have people loosing homes and 695,000 people are out of work!! The world is in the biggest turmoil it has ever been in and I feel if you aren't going to share the problems and help work to make them better, please keep YOUR OPINIONS to yourself Oscar!!

[phoenics]

06:30 PM on 04/07/2009

I hope Michelle O never wears Vera Wang. Vera is a complete SNOB and the women who work in her flagship store in New York are even worse - God forbid you actually have CURVES and walk into that shop. They treat you like a leper.

Steer clear, Michelle. Vera, you reap what you sow.

[jmoore79]

07:44 PM on 04/07/2009

Same with Donna Karan - you're out of luck if you're anything but thin, thin, thin, and I've personally never been very impressed with Oscar de Low Renta.

[jmoore79]

07:53 PM on 04/07/2009

..... or "sew"..... (snicker!)

[panamap]

04:46 PM on 04/07/2009

Just because you have not heard of Michelle Obama's designers does not mean that they are inexpensive. Most of us know J Crew is not high end. But get on the web and check out the prices for a frock from Jason Wu and Michael Kors and the rest. These designers are sold at Neiman-Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman and such.

[learntofly]

04:28 PM on 04/07/2009

Oscar is so far out of style and out of touch that his jealousy and bitterness have gotten the best of him.

[maccallister]

04:17 PM on 04/07/2009

those big names designer felt left out i guess because the first lady didnt consider their creations to wear at all!

but that j.crews mrs.o was really ugly!i think she regret wearing that now hehehe

[phine09]

04:15 PM on 04/07/2009

I like the idea that Michelle Obama wish to be known as an approachable First Lady. I have to agree that she has taken a relaxed attitude toward fashion. African American women take pride in dressing for the ocassion, establishing their our own sense of style while doing so. I don't think anyone of similar stature would have worn the outfit that she wore to meet a queen. Fashion designers such as De La Renta, Karan and Wang have become household names for their fashion sense. Don't diss the designers, or First Lady Obama. She will never please everyone, but I do wish she would polish her look.