August 18-24, 2024
This week, former 1st lady and fellow tall woman Michelle Obama STUNNED us at her appearance at the DNC in Chicago. I literally gasped as she glided across the stage.
*******
THE FASHION: Michelle chose a gorgeous navy suit from the brand Monse’s resort 2025 collection paired with Jimmy Choo's pointed toe, lace up "Scarlett" kitten heels. But this isn’t just any suit — the details are quite interesting. Here’s the original look as distributed by Monse designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia:
As some fashion pundits have pointed out, the look does have a bit of a futuristic feel to it. It’s a bit Star Trek-ky with the criss-crossed lapel and the angled shoulder line, and the snatched belted waist adds a dose of femininity. I could easily see Captain Uhura strutting the corridors of the The Starship Enterprise in this suit (click here for a brief history of Star Trek uniforms)! The cigarette silhouette pants have a super wide black cuff. The combination of navy and black is often critiqued, but I think it’s such a delicious combination of neutrals.
In my opinion, Mrs. O wore it better than the original model and really filled out the blazer. On Michelle, you can better see the unique cutout detail and the silky peekaboo fabric at the center of the chest. I love that her stylist Meredith Koop refined the frayed edges of the sleeveless blazer, while closing up the arm hole for a more classic fit. And let’s be honest, this cut truly highlighted one of Michelle’s best features: those arms!!
The proportions of the longline blazer are perfect for Michelle’s 5'11" frame — it covers the booty without hiding her fabulous figure. My ONLY critique for the fit of this suit is regarding the pants: the original look was paired with a sandal that tied at the ankle, visually filling that space between the shoe and the hem of the pant. On Michelle, because there is no ankle strap to her JC’s, it looks like the pants are just a skosh too short for her long legs, which is like, tall girl nightmare! I would have preferred to see either a shoe with an ankle strap OR for the pant hem to have been extended 2-3” inches to improve the proportion.
THE FINAL THREAD:
This was a winning look for Mrs. O and any tall woman looking for a forward thinking yet classic look to add to their wardrobe. For a chilly Chicago night, the Whitney Allysyn capsule blazer in Jet vegan leather could have been beautifully draped across her shoulders as her final layer.
*******
Leave a comment below with your thoughts on Mrs. O's look. Would you wear it?
XO,
Whitney