Designers sketch for the red, white and blue
Michelle would be stunning in Badgley Mischka. Photo from wwd.com
President-elect Barack Obama’s upcoming inauguration is causing quite a frenzy among the public eye. American residents compete for the 240,000 tickets available to witness the historical day in person and a good percentage of them face an extra challenge finding accommodation (apparently all hotels have no vacancy) for the upcoming nights spent in the nation’s capital.
Although snagging one of the tickets is almost as hard – if not, harder – as striking it rich during a trip to Vegas, another inauguration-related competition was unearthed immediately after November 4, 2008 when this question arose: which lucky designer(s) will dress the president and the first lady for the inauguration ceremony and the inauguration ball?
Many top designers hastily sketched drafts upon drafts of possible outfits to grace the bodies of these historical figures, hoping to make history as well. But it’s not only the historical trophy at the end of the road that’s alluring the designers, it’s also the youthfulness and lovable personality of the couple that can only be found in the perfect client; designers WANT to dress them.
Ideas first arose in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar, where Michelle Obama’s possible outfits, modeled by retired supermodel Tyra Banks, ranged from a $5,900 Oscar de la Renta dress to a much affordable, more modest dress from Banana Republic. Which designer is more likely to get the first lady’s attention? Judging from her [online] shopping trips to J. Crew and the “effortless simplicity” label that is often attached to her ‘fashion resume’, perhaps a magnificently tailored gown where construction, or perhaps some jewel embellishments, makes the true statement. Personally, I think Michelle as a person IS a fashion statement.
Not too sure about this Betsey Johnson ensemble. Photo from wwd.com
WWD.com posted some sketches created by designers like Caroline Herrera, Badgley Mischka and Karl Lagerfeld. Both inauguration ceremony and ball were considered. If I was the stylist working with Michelle Obama, I would pick either Badgley Mischka or Monique Lhuillier’s (can’t decide!) design for the ball because red flatters Obama’s skin so well. For the ceremony, I would have to go with Zac Posen’s design. (The runner-up for this is Diane Von Furstenburg’s, but I went against it because the yellow/red clash reminds me of a fast-food restaurant.) Christian Lacroix and Betsey Johnson had some interesting designs that I thought might be too dramatic and perhaps too youthful for the first lady.
Oh but let’s not forget Mr. Obama. Obviously he won’t be giving a speech naked (a bummer, right?), so someone’s got to dress him. Fashion observers, like myself, remain iffy on the outfit choices chosen by him in the past – odd fits are usually the mistakes, and whether he likes it or not, a designer must be sent in to fix that! My choice would be Tom Ford because he always knows how to make a man ooze sex appeal while remaining professional.
