Michelle Style by Mandi Norwood. Photo courtesy of Harper Collins.
Calling all you fans of our First Fashionista, Shelly O: we're giving away five copies of Michelle Style, by Mandi Norwood. This fun book, with insider stories, opinions from designers and tons of great photos and illustrations is a must have for everyone who loves Michelle Obama's confident, accessible, all-American style.
Michelle Style by Mandi Norwood. Photo courtesy of Harper Collins.
Remember how we told you about Michelle Style, by Mandi Norwood, the fun and fab new book that looks at Michelle Obama's fashion journey during the historic Presidential campaign, election and Inauguration? Well, five lucky StyleList winners are getting a chance to find out firsthand how great it is.
That's right! We're giving away five copies of Michelle Style. So, if you're obsessed with our First Lady's fashion choices, wonder what designers have to say about her sartorial sensibility and love to peruse photos and drawings of her now iconic outfits, you will want to win this book!
Ready to win a copy of Michelle Style? Here's how:
To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about your favorite Michelle Obama fashion moment.
The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Tuesday, May 12, 2009.
You may enter only once.
Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
Five winners will receive a copy of Michelle Style (valued at $19.99).
Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
THE ARGYLE SWEATER Michelle Obama donned similar asymmetrical cardigans by Junya Watanabe - the pink version for a "Take Your Child to Work" Day event on April 23, 2009, and the blue version during her G20 trip to London. Her first pick by a non-US-based designer, the fashionably daring sweater was critically acclaimed by MO style-watchers.
AP | Getty Images
THE BOW SHIRT The First Lady first debuted this white bow blouse by Moschino on April 2nd in London. She then recycled it for a "Take Your Child to Work" Day event on April 23, 2009.
Evan Vucci
THE INAUGURAL CARDIGAN We imagine most First Lady's would wear their Inauguration Day ensemble once, then lay it to rest. Not our Michelle. The pale yellow Nina Ricci cardigan she dressed up with a diamond brooch for her husband's swearing in ceremony has become a wardrobe staple - most recently seen on St. Patrick's Day, paired with cropped gray trousers.
AP | Getty Images
THE GREEN SHOES Who knew that emerald pumps could get so much play? Michelle first donned these colorful J.Crew clickers on Inauguration Day, and wore them again during the G20 Summit in London.
AP | Getty Images
THE BLACK BELT A master of the belt-over-cardigan look, this black studded belt by Azzedine Alaia is arguably The First Lady's favorite accessory. She's been photographed in it many times - here, twice during her recent trip to Europe.
Getty Images | AP
It's become habit for the media and fashion followers alike to fault high-profile celebrities for doing the absolutely unthinkable - wearing the same thing more than once!
Don't they know? They're supposed to stick to the wear-once rule! They have endless money, multiple stylists and access to all the top designers; their wardrobes should be disposable. Who do they think they are committing such a fashion faux pas?
But somehow, when Michelle Obama wears things on multiple occasions, it's eco-friendly, practical, down to earth. After all, she's just like you and me.
A flowery tribute to the First Lady's chic style. Photo courtesy of Elie Tahari.
It's not the fact that Michelle Obama continues to inspire fashion designers and shoppers alike that's surprising. It's that unlike preceding First Ladies, her style choices are extremely wearable, from brands we can actually pronounce, maybe afford, and at the very least, find in stores.
The accessibility of her modern style is so refreshing, though it continues to upset some high-end designers she isn't opting to wear.
But leave it to someone who knows a thing or two about designing for the modern-day woman, Elie Tahari, to design this aptly named "Michelle" dress (right).
The world has watched breathlessly as Michelle Obama establishes herself as the most stylish First Lady since Jackie O. But yesterday, "Shelly O" may have committed her first fashion faux pax while in office. She stepped out in a pair of questionable turquoise suede boots to talk community service with students from YouthBuild. Yes, she was braving a cold, muddy March day, and yes, perhaps the emerald-ish shade was to honor St. Patricks day, but regardless, the boots do seem to stand out like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Oh. My. God. Why are French people so cool? Is it just us? No it couldn't be. It's just Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the First Lady of France, doing her thing at an AIDS event in this incredible strapless, cobalt blue gown.
Michelle Obama is on the March cover of Vogue! The magazine generally relegates first ladies to inside spreads (though they did feature Hillary Clinton on the cover while Bill was in office), but Mrs. Obama's stunning designer dresses and sensibly chic J Crew ensembles have captured the public's attention -- so it's really no surprise that she's gracing the cover of the fashion bible.
The photos were taken by Annie Leibovitz at the Hay Adams hotel in Washington DC, when the Obama family was staying there in January, before the Inauguration.
She claims she's not a natural-born politician. But, when it comes to fashion, America's next new Lady, Michelle Obama, seems to have a strategist's instincts for what will play in Peoria. Her secret lies in knowing how to mix high and low (and we don't just mean her heels). She wears dresses from pricey designers like Isabel Toledo (left), Thakoon and Narciso Rodriguez, whose pieces carry four-figure tabs and are sold in stores like -- yep -- Neiman-Marcus, Barneys and Saks. But she also showed up on the campaign trail wearing designs like the $148 White House-Black Market dress that she chose for "The View" last summer and the J. Crew sweater and skirt that she wore on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," insisting in her best every woman voice, "You can get some good stuff online."
AP
Michelle Obama looked cool and casual at the Kids' Inaugural concert the night before her husband took the oath of office. Her daughters met their favorite musicians (The Jonas Brothers) and the soon-to-be First Lady pulled out one of her favorite labels: J Crew.
What will the Obama administration be like? Well, Mrs. O has demonstrated a loyal streak when it comes to her choice of designer duds. Although she was criticized in many corners for the Narcisco Rodriguez dress she wore on Election Night, she wore him again at another high-profile event, the 'We Are One' concert at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009. This time, the reaction was uniformly positive.
Before her move to Washington, Michelle O was a loyal client of a boutique called Ikram, on Chicago's Gold Coast. Store owner Ikram Goldman helped the new First Lady with her Inaugural wardrobe, including the bright purple Maria Cornejo jacket she wore on the Whistle Stop train tour from Philly to DC on January 17.
On the night of the election Michelle Obama made fashion waves in this red and black Narciso Rodriguez dress (left). The designer proved to be a campaign trail favorite and will in all likelihood show up again and again during Obama's time in the White House.
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
The other big winner: Narciso Rodriguez, whose red-and-black confetti-print dress was Mrs. Obama's choice for her Election Night debut. It's hard to imagine it was anything but warm in Grant Park -- where the President-elect addressed an estimated 100,000 fans -- but Mrs. O added a short black cardigan to the tank dress, which came straight from Rodriguez's Spring '09 runway.
Randy Brooke, WireImage.com
Sure she has a law degree, a high-powered job and two adorable daughters. But to fashionista fans, Michelle Obama's most striking accomplishment during the presidential campaign has been channeling Jackie Kennedy -- the trademark flip, the simple '60s sheaths, the no-nonsense strand of pearls. She wore a tangerine version of the look last spring at a primary rally in North Carolina.
AFP / Getty Images
While Barack Obama boasts that he owns five of the same suit -- a dark two-button by Hartmarx -- Mrs. Obama is far more adventurous, especially when it comes to color. Usually, she favors bold shades -- blues, oranges, purples -- but she chose a soft, cantaloupe-colored dress earlier this fall for her husband's acceptance of the Harold Washington Award.
AFP / Getty Images
Their fist-bump got the most attention at the Minnesota rally on the night that Barack Obama cinched the Democratic nomination. Second-most-talked about: Michelle Obama's purple dress by her long-time designer and friend, Chicago's Maria Pinto.
Scott Olson, Getty Images
At the first joint appearance of the Obama-Biden families last summer, Michelle wore a purple and grey shirtwaist -- just the sort of thing Donna Reed would have chosen. And, to ensure that she didn't tower over just about everyone at the Springfield, Ill. rally, the 5-foot-11 Mrs. Obama slipped on silver ballet flats.
AFP / Getty Images
On the cover, Michelle wears a magenta Jason Wu dress -- as everyone probably remembers, he designed her white Inauguration dress. A photo inside shows Michelle at a desk, wearing a black Narciso Rodriguez dress. Michelle received criticism when she paired a black sweater over a dress by the designer on election night, but she told Vogue, "I also have to be practical. In the end, someone will always not like what you wear--people just have different tastes. Some will think that a sweater was horrible, [but] I was cold; I needed that sweater."
The significance of the Vogue cover is multi-faceted, particularly because Michelle is a curvy, African-American woman. In the past year there have been many public debates about race and size in fashion, including the All-Black issue of Italian Vogue.
And, while we love the fact that she's on the cover, we also like what she had to say within:
"I was proud as a wife, amazed as a citizen. I felt a sense of relief, a sense of calm, that the country I lived in was the country I thought I lived in," she said of election night to writer Andre Leon Talley who chronicles -- aboard the Obama Express, front-and-center at the Inauguration Ceremony and the Obama Home States Ball -- the hopes, ambitions, and American dreams of Mrs. Obama.
"We learned in our household that there was nothing you couldn't talk about and that you found humor in even the toughest of times. I want to bring that spirit of warmth, openness, and stability to my task," she said in the interview that stretched into entertaining, motherhood, art, and of course, fashion: "I love clothes ... First and foremost, I wear what I love. That's what women have to focus on: what makes them feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion."
Our new First Lady, just by being herself, is single-handedly taking those discussions to the next level. She is a mother, professional woman, fashion icon, and role model. And she looks darned good doing it all, which is why she is now also a Vogue cover model!
As the first lady of fashion, who wouldn't want to dress like Michelle Obama? She's got style for days but she's also got the dough stacks to back up those designer duds. But fear not fellow moneyless friends, we've got the goods for less, including a $398 version of her inaugural ball gown. Heck yeah!
It's a fact: We cannot get enough of the styles worn by our new first lady, Michelle Obama. Whether she's wearing J. Crew from the mall, or cutting edge designers like Isabel Toledo, or Jason Wu, she looks confident, comfortable and at ease. Even when we don't love what Michelle is wearing, we love how she wears it.
She claims she's not a natural-born politician. But, when it comes to fashion, America's next First Lady, Michelle Obama, seems to have a strategist's instincts for what will play in Peoria. Her secret lies in knowing how to mix high and low (and we don't just mean her heels). She wears dresses from pricey designers like Narciso Rodriguez (left), Thakoon and Isabel Toledo, whose pieces carry four-figure tabs and are sold in stores like -- yep -- Neiman-Marcus, Barneys and Saks. But she also showed up on the campaign trail wearing designs like the $148 White House-Black Market dress that she chose for "The View" last summer and the J. Crew sweater and skirt that she wore last month on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," insisting in her best every woman voice, "You can get some good stuff online."
Joe Raedle, Getty Images
The other big winner: Narciso Rodriguez, whose red-and-black confetti-print dress was Mrs. Obama's choice for her Election Night debut. It's hard to imagine it was anything but warm in Grant Park -- where the President-elect addressed an estimated 100,000 fans -- but Mrs. O added a short black cardigan to the tank dress, which came straight from Rodriguez's Spring '09 runway.
Randy Brooke, WireImage.com
Sure she has a law degree, a high-powered job and two adorable daughters. But to fashionista fans, Michelle Obama's most striking accomplishment during the presidential campaign has been channeling Jackie Kennedy -- the trademark flip, the simple '60s sheaths, the no-nonsense strand of pearls. She wore a tangerine version of the look last spring at a primary rally in North Carolina.
AFP / Getty Images
While Barack Obama boasts that he owns five of the same suit -- a dark two-button by Hartmarx -- Mrs. Obama is far more adventurous, especially when it comes to color. Usually, she favors bold shades -- blues, oranges, purples -- but she chose a soft, cantaloupe-colored dress earlier this fall for her husband's acceptance of the Harold Washington Award.
AFP / Getty Images
Their fist-bump got the most attention at the Minnesota rally on the night that Barack Obama cinched the Democratic nomination. Second-most-talked about: Michelle Obama's purple dress by her long-time designer and friend, Chicago's Maria Pinto.
Scott Olson, Getty Images
At the first joint appearance of the Obama-Biden families last summer, Michelle wore a purple and grey shirtwaist -- just the sort of thing Donna Reed would have chosen. And, to ensure that she didn't tower over just about everyone at the Springfield, Ill. rally, the 5-foot-11 Mrs. Obama slipped on silver ballet flats.
AFP / Getty Images
Perhaps it was a bid for Red-state votes? At the second Presidential debate in Nashville, Mrs. Obama wore a bright red Narciso Rodriguez sheath, which just happened to blend in perfectly with the carpet.
Getty Images
Most people have never even heard of fashion designer Isabel Toledo (though she's been at it for more than 30 years). But at a New York fund-raiser last spring, Mrs. Obama looked so comfortable in one of Toldeo's edgy designs (and a Tom Binns necklace) that she sparked gossip she'd be wearing more of the Cuban-born designer's wares if she makes it to the White House.
Marcel Thomas, FilmMagic
Though one of her favorite stores is Ikram -- the high-rent Chicago boutique that carries designers like Alexander McQueen, Balmain, Lanvin and Rodarte -- Mrs. Obama likes to show that she's equally skilled at pulling together outfits from the other end of the spectrum. For an October rally in Miami, she wore this striped dress from H&M with a $34.95 price tag.
The young Thai-born designer Thakoon Panichgul -- who's known, simply, as Thakoon -- calls this his "Tailored Inside Out Dress." And since one of Michelle's favorite tricks is to add a trinket here or there, she altered the silk floral dress with a small bow at the side of the neck for the first Presidential debate.
For the last few months, we haven't been able to watch our favorite show or take a walk through our neighborhood without being subjected to everyone's political opinions. And now, even going to Barneys New York makes a political statement.
Jenna Bush got married this weekend at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas, and we're sure her new husband, Henry Hager, had no regrets as to his choice when he saw her walking down the aisle. Jenna was dressed in an Oscar de la Renta gown that we just loved -- it had a simple silhouette, but an intricate design with embroidered organza and matte beading from the very top to the end of her chapel-length train.
Not everyone looked so sharp, however -- check out the gallery to see what we loved and what we could've done without.
Threesome or topless? More than 3/4 of you think the CK campaign 'Threesome' campaign was more risque than Wrangler's topless models. Get the full story here.
Inzemove and Fred & Farid
Do these ads belong in the U.S.? StyleList readers were nearly evenly divided on this, with 52% thinking that they should run in the States, and 48% finding them inappropriate. Get the full story here.
Inzemove and Fred & Farid
Curly or Straight? While 30% of you think she's so beautiful that her hair doesn't even matter, 49% of you prefer her curls. Get the full story here.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images | Jon Furniss, WireImage
Offensive or artistic? Just over 50% of StyleList readers said they weren't offended by this shirt, but didn't know if it was totally appropriate to wear in public. Unfortunately, that wasn't the opinion in Dubai. Get the full story here.
Strapless dresses on 13-year-olds StyleList readers think strapless dresses should be saved for older girls -- 41% of you think the look is too mature. Get the full story here.
Getty Images
Is Megan the new Angelina? Half of you think Megan needs to get her own identity and quit copying Angie, but more than a quarter said Jolie doesn't stand a chance against this Fox. Get the full story here.
Getty Images
Did Calvin Klein respond to public's outcry? The controversial "threesome" billboard in Soho has been replaced with this one, but 51% of you believe it was just to keep people talking about the brand, not because CK caved. Get the full story here.
Rachel Been, AOL
Calvin Klein's Racy Ad Is it art or practically pornography? About 40% of StyleList readers found this billboard obscene. Get the full story.
Maggie Coughlan, AOL
Palin's Pedi Do you think Sarah Palin's funky pedicure was appropriate? If so, you're in good company -- 68% of you said it was fun and fabulous. Get the full story.
Getty Images
Bright, Light, or Dark as Night? How do you like your toenails painted? Over half of StyleList readers prefer their piggies with bright, perky polish. Get the full story.
Oh. My. God. Why are 
As the first lady of fashion, who wouldn't want to 
