Michelle's Inauguration Suit - Yellow Is the New Black
Designer Isabel Toledo brings saffron to the limelight.
I sat on my couch at 5:45am, waiting for Michelle Obama to appear in the tented doorway of the Hay-Adams. What would she be wearing? Oh man, please don't let it be the classic LBD. A breath, a pause, and then she emerged: a glowing testament that she will redefine what "classic" is in our fashion vocabulary.
Donning a tastefully gilded brocade sheath dress, and cloaked in a matching coat, Michelle embraced 2009's signature color with a comfortable and graceful choice for the grand scale of the Inauguration celebration.
Michelle chose designer Isabel Toledo, a Cuban-born American designer, for this momentous occasion - but it's not the first time she's worn her designs. Last June, Michelle wore an elegant black tunic paired with palazzo pants designed by Toledo to a Calvin Klein fundraiser.
Toledo has made a name for herself with her intricate, geometric designs, and designed under her own name until being named creative director of Anne Klein in 2006. Her vision for the brand proved too avant garde for the matronly brand, though, and she left after mere months of designs. It must be a tremendous honor for the designer, who was once quoted as saying (about Michelle wearing her designs):
"She could've worn anybody, but she chose to wear a dress made by a Latina, and made in the U.S. So she chose to support the industry here."
We think Michelle couldn't have looked more classic, stunning - yet modern - while standing next to President Obama as he was sworn in.
