Behind The More Magazine Shoot: Who Dictates Michelle Obama's Personal Style?

The first thing I noticed about Michelle Obama when she walked through the door of the Chicago hotel suite (which we'd converted into a temporary photo studio for MORE's October cover shoot) was her height. A commanding 5'10"--plus heels--she was even more imposing than the T.V. cameras project, perhaps because she's often photographed next to her even taller (6 foot one and a half) husband. She wore a floral skirt and a sleeveless white blouse that highlighted her incredibly cut arms. After shaking my hand she asked if she could eat. Though we were on a tight schedule (cover shoots usually last all day, but she was giving us only three hours, which included the time needed to do her hair and makeup), I was happy to oblige. Not only had I been hovering over the catering table like a starving vulture since 11 a.m. (my 6 a.m. flight came sans snack), but I believe you can tell a lot about a person by what they eat. (Ever notice how picky eaters are also stingy lovers?) As Obama piled her plate high with all kinds of naughty carbs I thought: We're gonna get along just fine.

And that's what I'd flown from New York to Chicago to ensure. Obama's handlers had been so schizophrenic and fussy over the phone about what they would allow her to wear for the shoot that I wanted to make sure the woman didn't end up naked on the cover because no one could agree on what looked good. (Though naked would have really made news!) Her people had begun, days earlier on the phone, by ordering us not to bring any fancy dresses that "would look presumptuously inaugural." I got that. More's cover stars usually appear in red-carpet styles, which could transmit the wrong message on a political wife (hey, I was learning). So instead we pulled cocktail dresses from the fashion market to bring to Chicago. But then a second dictum arrived: Obama was going to wear a dark brown dress by H&M. We immediately sent an assistant uptown to get us the dress, which turned out to be attractive, but obviously inexpensive and designed (by team Obama) to reinforce a certain non-elitist message. Fine for them--but I needed a knockout image to sell my issue, so I began to get annoyed. I also began to wonder...why such careful packaging? Was Obama really a Galliano-flaunting Nancy Regan who needed disguising, or were her handlers just control freaks? It took several more rounds of negotiations to bring the two businesses--selling magazines and selling a candidate's wife--together. What won the peace prize: a bright pink Maria Pinto sheath, and as a back up, a navy satin Narciso Rodriquez shift (both dresses from Obama's personal closet).

As Obama got her hair and makeup done (by a Chicago professional who'd done it for years--and also happened to be the Obamas' neighbor), she invited me to chat about motherhood and the campaign. The primaries had just ended and she was relieved to no longer have to keep up with the pace set by Hillary. "Nothing could be that hard," she laughed, referring to the general campaign that was about to begin. Yes, her kids were adapting to life under the relentless stare of the Secret Service, but the agents--who arrived each morning in coat and tie--were having a hard time adjusting to her. "I still work out at my local gym," she said, "and part of the routine requires we run up and down several flights of stairs." It seems the Secret Service were running along with her in their suits--until they realized they could just wait sweat-free at the bottom of the staircase.

Before she slipped on the pink shift, the More team inquired if we might remove the blue satin bow pinned at the neckline, to make the look more streamlined. The press people went off to consult Obama, and brought back her reply: "No." Humm, so I had the answer to my earlier question: Obama drives her own fashion train, which is impressive. She has a look and style that she cultivates carefully and is not going to let anyone, including fashion editors from New York, tell her what to do. In a world where most personal style is relentlessly boring and uninspiring because it's all manufactured by the same five Hollywood stylists--it's refreshing, if not always convenient, to see Obama cutting her own cloth.

Read excerpts of the Michelle Obama interview at More.com.

Comments

[JJ30]

A classy and well educated lady who speaks her mind. She is strong and can take on anyone and/or anything that tries to get in her and her family's way.

Gotta love it! :-)

[Agentlady007]

Michelle should not wear sleeveless dresses or shirts. What if a man did this? She wears colors that
are too bright. Would someone send her something First Ladyish? Light blue perhaps? Did she study the past first ladies?
I don't think so. The blue bow is a nice American touch, but the entire dress should be that color IMO.

I like her hair style. She does seems smart when she is interviewed.

[duze]

Michelle Obama, classsic.

Cindy McCain, not even in the room.

[Kally]

I think she has been airbrushed to the umpth and is the perfect of a cheap shot.

[acemave]

She is so gorgeous and smart. It will be so refreshing to have a woman in the white house with so much class and integrity.

[hillaryj]

I really like and admire this Lady............she is a class act!
Won't she make a wonderful First Lady!!!

[MedinaM]

Wow...she looks gorgeous! A gorgeous husband and a gorgeous wife...two lovely children. They worked for their money. They truly epitamize the whole idea of the "American Dream" in my opinion. They truly are influential. And somebody posted that it would have been wonderful if she went to Europe with Obama and I totally agree! The people there would simply adore her. She's a straight shooter and doesn't stand behind her husband like Cindy McCain--she instead stands next to him. I love the Obamas!! haha

[luvangelHussein330]

This will be the first time I pick up the magazine...probabaly the last...but either way Michelle is on the cover

[placeyourvote]

Sarah Palin is no match against Michelle. I watched Michelle today, and the way she presented herself was so positive. She spoke well about the issues.

I really love her.

[jkpcguru]

I can't wait to have the Obama family in the white house. I know she will be a great first lady!

[ArmyCentrist]

I simply adore Michelle Obama!

[schatsie]

This lady is a full partner to President Obama in the style of Eleanor Roosevelt... We would be fools not to vote for this couple... I think her experience is almost as valuable as his....Her fashion sense is spot on, she is not another aristocratic Jackie O, but a lovely and satisfied wife and mother...

The only regret I had is that she did not go along with Barack to Europe, they all would have loved her as well... Her speech to the Democratic Convention appealed to all of us working class people and I felt that she will be for the 90% of us that are not 'the privileged class'. The book deals were kind of a fluke in that I am pretty sure, they were a stab in the dark... But I firmly believe that Barack and Michelle will eventually win the Nobel Piece Prize...

We are so fortunate that they took on this campaign in spite of pretty much overwhelming odds and sacrificed their time to do this... I really appreciated the fact that she mentioned that her mother was a factor in that she was able to spend the time with her grandchildren...

After this past week, I do believe it is almost a done deal, but I still do not trust the repugs any further than you can throw them....

[WFV]

She is an amazing person and I will be proud to have her representing us.

[Mygirl]

I really like this Lady !

[roshni]

So different from the other Stepford wives who have no personality.
Stunning woman!