Robin Givhan: Dress Repeats Signal The End Of Michelle Fashion-Mania

Washington Post:

Finally, it may be that fashion enthusiasts have become accustomed to the sight of a first lady who rarely wears suits, who prefers her dresses form-fitting and who has, perhaps, never seen a brooch that she could resist.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[chronic]

I don't care for a lot of Michelles clothes.

Nor did I hear or see criticisms of Laura Bush's plain grey pants suit she wore everywhere.

[lil11]

The notion that a woman can wear a dress or outfit only once seems very odd. The reason for buying somthing is because you like it and preseumably you will wear it many times before it is discarded. Besides, how many people can afford to buy a dress or outfit and discard it after one wearing? Indeed, who would even want to?

[thalius]

so true, i have plent of favors that i wear over and over again.

[richsmith]

A couple of comments. M Obama looks good in about anything she wears. The second is, and I have heard comments on this in the past, have you noticed that M never wears the hight enhancing shoes that many women tend to wear. She's almost always in flat shoes and yet still towers over the wives of those foreign entities the O's meet (and over the husband in the case of Frau Merkel).

[MyAudacity]

I think focusing on First Lady Obama's clothes is intended to diminish her.

[Petals]

Of course. That what their plan all along.

[joyhamliton38]

Who cares if she wears the same dress every day. She will wear what she likes.

Note: Females reporters get a life and report on real issues for once.

[SBBeliever]

Hopefully she is buying her clothes from a small business! Yes, we are in a recession and our small businesses are being ignored. Small businesses create 97% of all the new jobs in America....it would be nice if Mrs.. Obama bought her dress from a small business, and it would be even nicer if President Obama decided that the country as a whole (and our own government!) should start supporting small businesses! To date, our country's 27 million small businesses have received less than 1 percent of $2.5 trillion. Maybe if the feds started using small businesses the way they should, THAT would stimulate our economy and the rest of us could afford to buy a new outfit every so often.

[Podaleiros]

M!Chelle has NEVER been an icon for anyone other than the media and a few deluded women on HP. I guess the media's realizing a lost battle and decided to admit it. M!chelle is not the reincarnation of Jackie O, she's not the double of Carla Sarkozy, she's not the inspiration of Leticia of Spain. PERIOD.

Her tacky clothes, awful print dresses and perpetual frown do not a fashion icon make.

[LetsGetToWork]

Second that! F&F!!

[blkbtrfly1]

I'm sure your comments have more to do with your hatred of the Obama's and black people in general than fashion. But I'm over it as I happen to agree with you on the FLOTUS's fashion choices (full print dresses are not her friend). However, I believe the "perpetual frown" is actually caused by a bad brow job. Her makeup artist (or the FLOTUS herself) is arching with a point at the center when they should use a rounded arch or a subtle arch and carry the brow line to the outer corner of they eye. That would instantly undo the "perpetual frown" effect.

[barksalot]

Can't anyone say anything negative about a bla.ck person without it being interpreted as anti bla.ck or rac.ist? Explain please

[bushgirlsgone]

.

I smell a Jeallllous Jane!

[Joyana]

The lady smiles a-plenty so funny that you see her w/ a "perpetual frown." Jackie O's style was 1960's so pretty odd that style media wants to compare her w/ Jackie O. Their eras are different and the cultural backgrounds of the two are strikingly different as well as regions of the country they're both from. The same applies of course to Carla Sarkozy and Leticia of Spain.

MO is MO and doesn't deserve comparison w/ any other first lady, present or past.

[kape]

I would take Michelle over any of the women that you mention. She is dynamite! Did you ever hear Jackie actually talk during her White House days? Moreover, MO radiates a positive attitude.

[akababs]

So, is she expected to wear a new outfit everyday her husband is in office? And more importantly, Michelle is not fashion icon, she hits and misses and she misses more than she hits.

[roseau]

Yes she is, so the same people who criticize her and her husband for wasting taxpayer money on dates (which they pay for it turns out) can criticize her for wasting money on clothes. Sad, isn't it?

[chardonnay48]

I work in a bank. Ive been wearing the same black suit twice a week for the last two years. I hope you all can sleep tonight with that knowledge.

[Joyana]

LOL!! I hope they can sleep w/ the fact that I've bought 1 pair of sandals, a couple of capris and summer tops over the past 2 years. Wine is good w/ age and so are clothes!!

[imaxfli]

You go girl...dresses are made to be worn more than once..hope I see it 10 more times!!!!!

[Joyana]

She should wear that lavender print dress every day for a week and get some of these fashionistas throwing up.

[defendr]

Love her style, especially those sneakers! Right on!

[hdj8501]

Good! I suspect that was the intent by the First Lady who thinks all this focus on her clothes is silly. Yes, she wants to look good but clothes is not what she is about so if repeating outfits removes her from that frivolous perch of 'fashion icon' then she is all for it!

[Reiziger]

The country is in a recession, we're looking for responsible leadership that reflects that reality and instead, we get a national paper that deplores the lack of conspicuous consumption by the First Lady. Substance means nothing, style is everything, apparently. We don't have to actually LIVE our principles, we only have to give them lip service and hope like heck we look good while doing so. Yeah, there's your real American values for ya. Thanks a lot, Washington Post, for doing the hard work reporting on the issues that are most critical to the country. Yeesh.

[VMA]

You're right. I believe Ms. Obama is conscious of the fact that people in this country are hurting. Her clothes actually represent the everyday person. Trust me, if she was wearing some outlandishly priced designer fashion she'd be trashed for that. She's in a lose, lose.

[dlvme2]

MOST people have worn the same outfit twice or more than that are still considered fashionable - this is just stupid. If you do not like her style that is one thing, but to bash it because she was seen wearing an outfit twice that is ridiculous.

[southernsepia]

Good analysis.

Who said she ever wanted to be a fashion icon. You guys in the media went crazy because she has some sense of modern style ( like most other young city dwelling women).

She is in shape, looks good in her clothes and brings her own sense of style to any occasion.
That's simply a bonus to all the other wonderful things about the Flotus.

[LaurieAnn]

If you read the article thoroughly it is a good analysis. Ms. Giivhan never said there is anything wrong with Michelle Obama wearing her clothing items more than once. And I agree with you that Mrs. Obama has never wanted to be a fashion icon; she's dressing as she likes for the occasions at hand.