Mrs. O

by Mary Tomer

  SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2009

  *

  “We Are One” Concert

  *

  TO OFFICIALLY KICKOFF THE WEEK OF INAUGURAL CELEBRATIONS, President-elect Obama and the Inauguration Planning Committee arranged for a star-studded concert, free to the public, to be held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Laura Linney and Martin Luther King III read passages by F.D.R. and John F. Kennedy, while Jamie Foxx and Steve Carell spoke of Thomas Jefferson, Thurgood Marshall, and Robert Kennedy. A range of musical performers included Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, James Taylor, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, U2, Beyonce, and more. The event drew a jubilant crowd of more than 400,000 that filled the Mall.

  As Mrs. Obama walked down the marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the world could observe a subtle shift in style that reflected her new role. Dressed in Narciso Rodriguez, as she had earlier in the day, Mrs. Obama wore an impeccably styled ensemble in camel and black. Her black top sparkled with beaded embellishment radiating from the neckline and was paired with a camel color, knee-length wool skirt, defined at the waist by a black belt.

  The look was topped by a long black scarf and camel color wool coat. The coat also brought an unexpected detail—a black lining—that drew the eye in and seamlessly blended with her black top and scarf. Black leather gloves, patent leather kitten heels, and Loree Rodkin chandelier earrings, the latter borrowed from Chicago boutique Ikram, added polished touches to what was an incredibly cohesive and memorable look.

  *

  “It was very clean, graphic, sophisticated—a new take on the suit.”

  BOOTH MOORE, LOS ANGELES TIMES

  *

  The ensemble was another high profile moment for Narciso Rodriguez. Born in New Jersey, Mr. Rodriguez became interested in fashion at an early age. “I grew up surrounded by strong Cuban women who had great personal style. Seeing what they were wearing and how the clothes moved inspired me to want to design,” he said. “Rather than become an architect, which was another love of mine, I decided to incorporate architecture into fashion, which is what I do today.”

  At the time, Booth Moore of the Los Angeles Times described Michelle Obama’s ensemble as, “strong, elegant and above all modern.”

  MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2009

  *

  Kids’ Inaugural Concert

  *

  FOR THE “KIDS’ INAUGURAL: WE ARE THE FUTURE” CONCERT, Mrs. Obama dazzled in a blue and yellow J.Crew ensemble, a palette that reflected the bright, youthful spirit of the evening.

  The night was filled with music by teen favorites Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Bow Wow, and—to the delight of the Obama daughters—the Jonas Brothers. Mrs. Obama encouraged her young audience: “We all have something incredible to contribute to the life of this nation, and kids, this means you too, right?”

  Wearing a silver-blue metallic lace shell paired with a blue wool serge pencil skirt, Mrs. Obama kept her look young and fresh by topping the ensemble with an olive-yellow cardigan; all three pieces were by J.Crew. Erickson Beamon’s Techno Deco belt, a piece Mrs. Obama previously wore during the primary season, cinched her waist and added personal character. The outfit was further accessorized with a set of diamond bangle bracelets and chandelier earrings by Loree Rodkin.

  The ensemble was feminine, while full of unexpected pairings. Culled from a mainstream retailer known for moderate prices, it brought a timely, achievable appeal, perfectly suited for the occasion.

  TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2009

  *

  Oath of Office

  *

  THRONGS OF SUPPORTERS HAD GATHERED AT THE CAPITOL FOR THE INAUGURATION, wrapped in thick winter coats and patriotic-colored scarves to brave the cold January weather. Through the sea of black outerwear, Michelle Obama shone bright, wearing a lemongrass suit by Isabel Toledo that illuminated her as a beacon of both style and optimism.

  The suit consisted of a dress and coordinating coat, layered with a yellow mohair cardigan by Nina Ricci worn in between. The ensemble had a grown-up essence that felt appropriate for both the significance of the occasion and the new role Mrs. Obama was ascending to. It did, however, still offer subtle hints of the unexpected, a trademark of Mrs. Obama’s style.

  The suit’s color, not quite yellow, not quite green, was aptly described as “lemongrass” by designer Isabel Toledo. “I wanted to pick a very optimistic color, that had sunshine,” Toledo told the New York Times. “I wanted her to feel charmed, and in that way would charm everybody.” The appearance of the fabric, too, was quite changeable, as the layered Swiss wool lace, backed with tulle netting and lined in white silk taffeta, took on a subtle shimmer at times.

  The choice of designer, Isabel Toledo, a Cuban-American celebrated within the inner circles of fashion, but not widely known to the American public, was in itself significant. The choice signaled a recognition of one of American fashion’s greatest talents, one known for her old-world, hand craftsmanship.

  Describing her design process for the ensemble, Ms. Toledo said, “I saw the fabric, and said, ‘That’s it!’ I knew I could make her luminous. The light was going to come from within.” The texture of the fabric, in particular, was significant: “To me, that moment had to have more than one dimension. I knew I could create depth with the lace.”

  Mrs. Obama paired the ensemble with grass green J.Crew leather gloves and green Jimmy Choo Glacier pumps that offered a fresh play on color. A Victorian rhinestone sash pin from the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection was worn at the neckline, bringing light and sparkle to Mrs. Obama’s face.

  The newly appointed first lady was not the only budding style icon of the morning. Malia and Sasha Obama both wore brightly colored coats from Crew Cuts by J.Crew.

  Designer Isabel Toledo added a tie closure to the lemongrass lace coat for light movement.

  *

  Q&A ISABEL TOLEDO, FASHION DESIGNER

  Isabel Toledo learned to sew from a babysitter at the age of eight. With her parents and two sisters, she emigrated from Cuba, making a new home in West New York, New Jersey. When their mother had to go to work, the girls resisted a babysitter, but were more open to “sewing classes.” It was there that Ms. Toledo first discovered her love of the craft. She has been designing for the past 25 years, with a unique process that is both intimate and personal. It was no surprise, then, that her lemongrass dress and coat worn by Michelle Obama for Inauguration Day brought tremendous meaning and substance.

  Q: It’s been reported that you grew up sewing from a very early age and began by customizing your hand-me-downs. Do you remember your first original design?

  A: I do! The most important thing about my first design was what I managed to do without. I made a design with no industrial closure. No zipper, no buttons or button fly. The sophistication of those finishes were way beyond my years. It was a pair of pants with extensions that wrapped around the body to keep them closed. I was very proud of my achievement.

  Q: What about you as a designer is the same now as it was then?

  A: To this day, ingenuity supersedes my thirst of fashion, I still LOVE a smart pattern.

  Q: And what’s different?

  A: My appreciation for the complex ritual of tradition.

  Q: How do you want a woman to feel in your clothes?

  A: Dressing is an act of communication. Being in control of the message is key to feeling confident. My service is to provide designs to accommodate different moods—the most important of those—to be in LOVE with yourself and the world.

  Q: What, for you, is the magic in opposites? What are your favorite opposites?

  A: Opposites create balance. My favorites: Ruben and Isabel, hard and soft, day and night, the intimate and the public.

  Q: Will you describe how you developed the lemongrass suit Mrs. Obama wore for the inauguration?

  A: The truth is, I took a creative mini-tantrum. I felt the importance of the moment and really wanted to address the personal, historical, and spiritual significanc
e.

  Q: Was it a collaborative process with Mr. Ruben Toledo [Isabel’s husband, an acclaimed fashion illustrator]?

  A: I’ll say: As I was pacing back and forth, verbalizing the importance of the swearing in moment, for me and for the world… after much philosophizing, Ruben turned (probably with impatience, and a pencil and paper) and said, “Well what do you want it to look like?” I reached out for the swatch of fabric that had fueled my tantrum for creative discovery and began to formulate the vision that became the “lemongrass” look. This textile held the key.

  Q: How did you want the first lady to feel while wearing it?

  A: The joy of accomplishment, the optimism of our country’s future. I wanted her to feel the labor of love that went into making it.

  Q: Why did you choose the lemongrass color? And what did you want it to communicate?

  A: The color evoked warmth, a pacific and calming emotion. I don’t know why; it just symbolized a new day.

  Q: The fabric also had notable depth and texture—what was the significance of the fabric?

  A: The personal significance is my love of lace. It is at once fragile and incredibly strong. It gives me an opportunity to say more because you can create depth with the layers. In this case, the immediate layer was the lightest of silk tulle combined with the pop white of the silk taffeta.

  Q: Is there a reason you wanted the coat to tie closed, rather than button?

  A: Michelle is a woman with a great American stride. I cannot imagine her being restricted by clothes. One button, one tie, in fact it had both, just not visible. The placement was what was most important, near her heart. This proportion for the opening gives length and grace to her walk, and the tie added a light movement. It was important she feel the freedom to walk down Pennsylvania Ave.

  Designer Isabel Toledo sits for a portrait by her husband Ruben.

  Q: What was your reaction when you learned the first lady had chosen your ensemble? What was the spirit around your atelier?

  A: You can imagine, we were all in a supreme state of HAPPINESS! We all saw it for the first time on television along with the rest of the world. The impact of that moment was a universal HIGH. We were charmed by the vision of our new first lady looking so regal and radiant, and then it hit us that it was our “lemongrass” coat and dress she was wearing. After that we all cried, hugged, cheered, were glued to the television in Ruben’s painting studio until the moment Barack Obama with Michelle at his side was sworn in. Then it was a total New Year’s celebration not only in our studio but in the entire neighborhood. I have left in my heart a special place for my creative tantrum. I call it a job well done.

  Q: What do you enjoy most about what you do?

  A: The selfishness of creation, the satisfaction of problem solving, the joy of discovery.

  Q: What are the advantages of running a smaller, independent atelier?

  A: The advantages are that we have healthy limitations. Therefore, we employ “necessity,” the mother of invention. My small staff and I get to work on all the clothes we make. We get to invest time and energy on perfecting the craft we all love. This is a very satisfying way to evolve my business. The LOVE of MAKE is in every one of the garments with an ISABEL TOLEDO label.

  Q: Do you have a favorite dress?

  A: My favorite dress is yet to be created. I’ll let you know in the future.

  Designs by Isabel Toledo for First Lady Michelle Obama. Illustrations by Ruben Toledo.

  *

  TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2009

  *

  Inaugural Ball

  *

  AFTER MONTHS OF SPECULATION AND HUNDREDS OF DESIGNS, the world was finally treated to Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Ball gown—a gown for the ages.

  As the president and first lady took the dance floor at the Neighborhood Ball, serenaded by Beyonce Knowles’s rendition of the Etta James classic “At Last,” First Lady Michelle Obama dazzled in her ivory chiffon, one-shoulder gown embellished with organza flowers and crystals.

  The designer of Mrs. Obama’s gown was Jason Wu, then only 26 years old. Wu’s name officially entered the Inaugural Ball gown race after he dressed Mrs. Obama for a television interview with Barbara Walters in late November. Still, as late as a December interview with the Wall Street Journal’s “Heard on the Runway” blog, Wu downplayed the possibility of designing the Inaugural Ball gown, saying, “Oh, that’s a long shot!”

  Describing his inspiration for the dress, Jason Wu later told CNN, “It’s about hope. It’s about newness,” he said. “It’s all a little dreamlike, and we’re making history, and I wanted to really reflect that.”

  The gown had a youthful and romantic spirit that reflected a different facet of the first lady’s style, almost in contrast to the grown-up suit she had worn earlier in the day. On the evening of January 20, 2009, there was no question—Michelle Obama was the belle of the ball.

  The dress was complemented by a suite of custom-designed jewelry by Loree Rodkin that included 61-carat diamond Inaugural earrings, the 13-carat Michelle signet ring, and a set of white gold bangles featuring 13 carats of diamonds.

  To coordinate with her gown, the First Lady wore a pair of white Satin d’Orsay sandals by Jimmy Choo; Tamara Mellon, founder and president of Jimmy Choo, described the choice as, “the perfect finishing touch for her Jason Wu evening dress.” An ivory, cropped dress jacket by Jason Wu topped the ensemble.

  *

  Q&A: LOREE RODKIN, JEWELRY DESIGNER

  Loree Rodkin has lived a fascinating life. She is a former talent manager turned jewelry designer, who grew up in Chicago and spent her first trip to Paris in the company of Salvador Dalí. She has designed jewelry for a host of celebrity clientele—from Madonna to Mary J. Blige, Cher to Aerosmith. Her jewelry combines modern and medieval, with a clear Gothic influence. It’s not a combination that one might expect to appeal to the first lady—which makes it all the more exciting that indeed, it does.

  Q: How did your interest in jewelry design begin? How did it evolve into a business?

  A: When I was 12, my mother began to give me jewelry for my birthday every year, and I hated it, always. She was so fed up with buying me stuff I didn’t like, that she gave me access to the family jeweler and said I could make my own jewelry. And that’s really how it started. It was a little hobby of mine. Later when I was managing actors, Robert Downey Jr. and Brad Pitt, it’s what I did to stay sane. My line was launched in 1989 at Maxfield in LA.

  Q: Your designs have a distinct aesthetic. What attracts you to Gothic architecture and imagery?

  A: I think the ornate-ness, the richly embellished aspects of that period of architecture. There was great dimension and attention to detail. And the shapes and imagery—I think there was something dark and romantic about the Gothic period.

  Q: One of the first times Michelle Obama wore your earrings was on election night. Were you aware that she owned them and was planning to wear them?

  A: I had no idea. I was watching along with the rest of the country and was like, “Wow, those look just like my earrings.” But you know, I couldn’t even wrap my head around the fact that my earrings were on her. It’s kind of like, “Oh gosh, those are so similar to mine,” and then, “Oh, those are mine!”

  Q: What inspired those earrings?

  A: They were the Constellation earrings. I really wanted something with movement. I draw inspiration from so many things. Nature, architecture, fabrics, a mood. The shapes were a reference to the planets and the galaxies and how they revolve around each other. I’m always mixing shapes and forms. In Gothic architecture there’s lots of layering and texturing.

  Q: For the inauguration, I’ve read you were commissioned to create several suites of jewelry. Did you receive a brief?

  A: Ikram [Goldman] requested that I submit four suites of jewelry. I was asked to design pieces with no color—so white diamonds. But otherwise, it was really free range. I knew Mrs. Obama had a long neck, so I took into account how lon
g I wanted the earrings to be. And I wanted a piece that was like a signet ring, that felt like a White House Oval Office moment, with a twist.

  Q: What does it mean to you as a designer that the first lady of the United States wears your jewelry?

  A: It’s like winning an Academy Award. It’s such an honor.

  Q: Did you ever dream your pieces would end up in the Smithsonian?

  A: I don’t think anyone dreams that big. It’s amazing. It’s hard to imagine that this could have happened. When Ikram called and said, “We’d like to do some stuff for the inauguration,” I said, “Are you sure you dialed the right one?”

  Q: What do you think attracts Mrs. Obama to your jewelry?

  A: I think there’s a uniqueness to my jewelry. It doesn’t look like anything else anyone else is designing. And I think she is fashion forward and has a great, strong point of view when it comes to fashion and herself, so I think that appealed to her. And Ikram is a big champion of mine. She was one of the first people to ever carry my jewelry. So I would say, really, Ikram is responsible.

  Q: What do you love about designing jewelry?

  A: I love getting to create, to imagine something and give it life. Plus I’m a girl—we love shiny, sparkly things.

  *

  *

  Q&A: JASON WU, FASHION DESIGNER

  Jason Wu has talent and recognition that far surpass his young years. He designs for a modern woman, with a quality ethic and old-world craftsmanship that hearken back to another time. Of Chinese descent, Jason Wu was born in Taipei, Taiwan. At age nine, he moved with his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he learned English, discovered Vogue and first learned to sew. He later attended fashion school at Parsons in New York, interned at Narciso Rodriguez, and in 2008, was a finalist for the Vogue / CFDA Fashion Fund prize. When Michelle Obama began to wear his designs, there was no question—American fashion had found its future.

  Q: How and when did you start designing?

  A: My mother bought me a sewing lesson when I was 11. I didn’t have a dress form or a work room. I used dolls as mannequins. My mom found a fashion student through the local community college to come in and teach me to sew once a week. That’s how I learned techniques and how to use a sewing machine.