First off, Mrs. Obama looked fantastic in this Narciso Rodriguez creation<\/a><\/strong> for the pre-inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial. She looked comfortable, the black-and-tan was dynamite<\/em> on her and she looked warm; by far my favorite of her outfits. Everything about it \u2013 FABULOUS<\/em>!<\/p>\n Unfortunately, she did not look anywhere near as comfortable, or as warm, at the inauguration, but I liked the lemongrass-gold color on her. She looked a little bulky in all that fabric, though, and no one wants to look like a lemongrass linebacker \u2013 I wondered if she was wearing silk \u201cwarmies\u201d underneath against the cold.<\/p>\n Come to think of it, Mrs. Bush looked cold, as well, and why in heaven\u2019s name did her light coat not button up?<\/p>\n I read comments good and bad<\/strong> about Mrs. Obama\u2019s sheath\/ matching coat ensemble and I came down squarely in the middle. I did not think it was the \u201cglorious statement\u201d the out-of-their-heads over-all things-Obama folks did, but I also did not think it looked she\u2019d \u201cpulled the drapes off the wall like Scarlett O\u2019 Hara\u201d as I read somewhere. I thought it was an interesting fabric \u2013 and interesting fabrics are good \u2013 but the outfit was not particularly well served by that jewelry-thing she was wearing as a brooch, or whatever, at the neckline. The bling was just distracting.<\/p>\n But the Inaugural gown, by 26-year old Jason Wu \u2013 the gown that will go into the First Ladies Collection at the Smithsonian Institute \u2013 well\u2026<\/p>\n It was just too young<\/em> on her.<\/p>\n The press is so committed<\/strong> to writing only good things about the Obama\u2019s that they won\u2019t honestly critique Mrs. Obama\u2019s clothing \u2013 they\u2019ll say she is \u201ccreative\u201d or \u201chas a sense of humor\u201d or something along those lines (and that is our first taste of what lengths the press will go to, to \u201cprotect\u201d the Obamas, in whom they have invested all of their credibility, but that\u2019s for another post). In fact, here is an example from \u2013 where else, the NY Times<\/a>:<\/p>\n Here is a bolder woman, a serious woman from Chicago and Harvard who is not afraid to express herself with fashion, and it is the kind of confidence that many women will recognize in themselves. Her clothes tell us that she has an adventurous spirit, as well as a sense of humor, and if some of these garments have almost an old-fashioned womanly quality, then they tell us that she is indeed not your average fashionista.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Every First lady since Mrs. Clinton<\/strong> has had an advanced degree (if those things are the measure of a person, for you) but if you can get past the gushing over her \u201cIvy League\u201d connection, you can read that blurb as a well-spun, \u201cshe hasn\u2019t much direction, sometimes looks a little absurd and can get matronly.\u201d They wouldn\u2019t have put it so nicely for Mrs. Bush, or Mrs. McCain, but they\u2019re writing about Mrs. Obama, and they\u2019ve already anointed her the \u201cnew fashion icon\u201d so it all gets a \u201cfresh and exciting\u201d spin, and nothing negative is permitted.<\/p>\n Well, I\u2019m not a member of the press, and I have no vested interest in promoting all-things Obama, so let me say it for them:<\/p>\n There was nothing wrong<\/em> with the Jason Wu ball gown \u2013 it is, in fact, a very lovely piece. It was simply all wrong for Mrs. Obama, and for the occasion. It was much too young; it begged to be worn by a woman in her late teens to mid-20\u2019s. Also, the gown was simply wrong for the occasion; it was romantic<\/em> \u2013 and there\u2019s nothing wrong with romantic \u2013 but when you\u2019re stepping out formally and publicly as the First Lady of the most powerful man in the world, the gown needs to feminine but stable and slightly authoritative; a little bitchy, if you will. With Mrs. Obama\u2019s commanding height, she could have pulled off something remarkable. Instead\u2026she looked a little \u201clittle girl lost.\u201d Kind of a wasted opportunity. I think others may feel the same way<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how I would have dressed her:<\/strong><\/p>\n For the Inauguration;<\/em> I loved the green gloves and I loved the color of her outfit. I would have lost the bling, put some faux-sable fur at the wrists and collar of the coat, and given the dress itself a little bit of a v-shaped neckline \u2013 not plunging \u2013 ladylike, but playful. Emerald jewelry at the neck, if she wanted it.<\/p>\n For the Balls:<\/em> I would have put her in antique gold lace \u2013 it would have set her skintone off beautifully and \u201cworked\u201d under the lights. I would have insisted that she go for a daring neckline that was at once sexy and commanding \u2013 think this neckline, which Elizabeth Taylor pulled off so beautifully in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.<\/em><\/p>\n I would have the gold lace falling in soft pleats from those athletic shoulders, but with an empire waist, which flatters Mrs. Obama \u2013 the skirt full but straight. Mrs. Obama would have been magnificent and regal, completely commanding and assured, and people would have been gasping.<\/p>\n Oh, deep down, I would have loved to have been on Project Runway. But I\u2019m sure I\u2019d end up more detested than Wendy Slightly off topic; I loved \u2013 LOVED \u2013 Aretha Franklin\u2019s hat. Loved.<\/p>\n The WaPo\u2019s Robin Givhan<\/strong> is predictably breathless<\/a> \u2013 everything Mrs. Obama wears is perfect \u2013 but her commenters seem to be a bit more thoughtful, honest and constructive in their critique. If I were Mrs. Obama \u2013 a mom with young children \u2013 I\u2019d rather hear constructive criticism (and stick to what I know \u201cworks\u201d) than hear the constant and unhelpful sighs of \u201cisn\u2019t everything she does just great,\u201d which can really end up hurting more than helping a person. But I think the press has utterly lost their capacity to be honest about anything, anymore. They\u2019ve reduced themselves to being well-connected, sometimes well-educated fan mag editors. I don\u2019t see any indication that they\u2019re at all concerned about that, either.<\/p>\n Fun Factoid:<\/strong> The Obama inauguration set the record for private jet usage<\/a>. Did Al Gore use one?<\/p>\n Also:<\/strong> One can make a case that both Roberts and Obama, himself<\/a> screwed up the oath of office, and the argument can be well-made that the whole mess was precipitated by Obama jumping the gun on Roberts<\/a>. They both lost their rhythm. It happens. Neo<\/strong> also didn\u2019t much like the gown<\/a> and Fausta weighs in with a nay<\/a> and a nice suggestion.<\/p>\n WELCOME<\/strong>: Ann Althouse readers<\/a>! While you\u2019re here, please look around. If you can\u2019t get enough Inauguration links, there\u2019s a big link here<\/a> and today we\u2019re also wondering if Obama = Bush 3<\/a> and we\u2019re discussing what has become the first act of every American president since Clinton<\/a>: the downright Mosesian choice between life and death; that post contains the harshest criticism I\u2019ve yet read of Obama, and it\u2019s from across the pond. Later today: Valentine\u2019s Day gift ideas, so check back!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp.patheos.com\/community\/sites\/7\/2011\/03\/mo-nrodriguez.jpg\")
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\nPepper.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nLast One:<\/strong> Yesterday Ann Althouse wrote of Elizabeth Alexander, \u201csomeone is committing poetry.\u201d I myself had remarked, \u201cI can think of a dozen rappers who would have done a better job than she.\u201d Today, Ms. Althouse expands her remarks on Alexander<\/a>, and brings Limbaugh into it. Delish!<\/em> Have I mentioned that Althouse and her comments together are the irresistible one-two punch of the blogosphere? I\u2019m sure I have!<\/p>\n