Michelle 'O's Dress - Red voted Black?

[FrenchieCat]

Could this have been a coded message?

I'm pretty picky about clothing, and although I found Michelle's dress unusual, I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

[ingac70]

1. She dresses like a normal person...

That is refreshing given the excesses of the ladies on the other side (Cindy and Sarah).

[happychatter]

2. they so make me smile - ty - nt

[Merlot]

3. Coded message? That's an interesting thought

I certainly didn't know what to make of it. Like you, I'm quick to notice clothes and the statements they make.

As for the dress itself, yes, it is a bit of a mystery.

[SuperTrouper]

13. Very good point. Good logic, red voting black

[Mme. Defarge]

15. How about this?

The Red and the Black
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black) is a novel by Stendhal, published in 1830. The title has been translated into English variously as Scarlet and Black, Red and Black, and The Red and the Black. It is set in 1830, and relates a young man's attempts to rise above his plebeian birth through a combination of talent, hard work, deception and hypocrisy, only to find himself betrayed by his own passions.

Like Stendhal's later novel The Charterhouse of Parma (La Chartreuse de Parme), Le Rouge et le Noir is a Bildungsroman. The protagonist, Julien Sorel, is a driven and intelligent man, but equally fails to understand much about the ways of the world he sets out to conquer. He harbours many romantic illusions, and becomes little more than a pawn in the political machinations of the influential and ruthless people who surround him. Stendhal uses his flawed hero to satirize French society of the time, particularly the hypocrisy and materialism of its aristocracy and the Roman Catholic Church, and to foretell a radical change in French society that will remove both of those forces from their positions of power.

The most common and most likely explanation of the title is that red and black are the contrasting colors of the army uniform of the times and of the robes of priests, respectively. Julien Sorel observes early on in the novel that, under the Bourbon restoration it is impossible for a man of his class to distinguish himself in the army (as he might have done under Napoleon); now, only a career in the Church offers social advancement and glory. Alternative explanations are possible, however: for example, red might stand for love and black for death and mourning; or the colours might refer to those of a roulette wheel, and may indicate the unexpected changes in the hero's career.

The novel ends with Stendhal's standard closing quote, "To the Happy Few." This is often interpreted as a dedication to the few who could understand his writing, an allusion to William Shakespeare's "Henry V", or a sardonic reference to the happy few who are born into prosperity (the latter interpretation is supported by the likely source of the quotation, Canto 11 of Byron's Don Juan, a frequent reference in the novel, which refers to 'the thousand happy few' who enjoy high society). This is also interpreted as the happy few who live according to Stendhal's ideals (Beylisme): The goal of existence is to reach your personal happiness. All actions undertook to reach this are permissible, hence Julien's treatment of people. The most important virtue is "la force d'ame" or the force of the soul. This involves courage, resolution and moral energy.

[JuniperLea]

17. And a song by Blue Oyster Cult

No doubt written as homage to said book.

Canadian Mounted, baby
Police force at work
Red and Black
It’s their color scheme
Get their man
In the end

It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right ah, yeah my honeys know it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right ah, yeah baby knows it’s all right
You’d kill, you’d maim ah, c’mon kill ’em
You’d kill, you’d maim look out

C’mon my husky

Frontenac Chateau, baby
I cross the frontier at ten
I got a whip in my hand, baby
And a girl or a husky
At leather’s end

It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right ah, yeah baby knows it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right yeah, baby, yeah it’s all right
You’d kill, you’d maim ah, c’mon kill ’em now
You’d kill, you’d maim

Hornswoop me bungo pony on dogsled on ice
Make a dash for freedom, baby
Don’t skate on polar ice
It’s too thick to be sliced
By the light
Of long and white polar nights

It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right ah, yeah baby knows it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right it’s all right
It’s all right yeah knows it’s all right
You’d kill, you’d maim ah, c’mon and kill now
You’d kill, you’d maim maim ’em too
Ah, break it up

[lapfog_1]

4. The color combo was good

but I didn't care for it. On the other hand Malia and Sasha looked just GREAT!

[firedupdem]

5. I was born and raised in Chicago....we love red and black...

they are also chicago bulls colors....I wear a lot of red and black although I can't figure out if I like this dress or not. They looked great though!

[FrenchieCat]

9. I know that she made it look good......she looked excellent! :)

[SoCalDem]

11. Narciso Rodgriquez designed it.. The arachnid design "put me off"

and the underlying "thought" I had creeped me out too..


There's a lot of discussion about it here:

[FrenchieCat]

25. Looks great!

[Merlot]

37. Usually I love Narcisco Rodgriquez. Very calm and understated elegant

This one was very bold.

[Hieronymus]

54. I'm glad to hear he's usually understated .. the dress last night was NOT...

It made her body look misshapen.

[progdonkey]

6. I thought the coded message was...

"I am so damn fine that I can wear a dress that looks like a horror movie poster and you still think I look fabulous. No $150,000 worth of designer clothes needed for this lady."

:patriot:

[frazzled]

7. It was a reference to Stendahls The Red and the Black

Not ... but hey.

I usually love Michelle's wardrobe (more or less), but I thought this dress was, um, not right.

[kittykitty]

8. I, too, wondered why they chose the red and black theme for the whole family

Is there some significance in red and black?

[Left Brain]

10. Could it be

that she just liked the dress?

:shrug:

[KSDiva]

24. When we do matchy matchy family pics

I always pick my dress out first...(snicker) and then make the family dress around my newfound color theme. Maybe she did the same. It did look better in that link on the runway though, I think she had them make it more conservative (in the non-political sense of the word) for the night and it skewed the look.

I love the colors on her, but was a bit confused about the dress.

[pnwmom]

12. That's what is wrong with the dress -- you couldn't take your eyes off of it.

A dress is supposed to make the wearer look good -- not to draw so much mystified attention to itself that you almost don't notice who's wearing it.

I wasn't wearing my glasses, so the visual effect was that she was wearing a red apron over a black dress, tied with a black sash -- which did seem kind of odd. From some angles, it also seemed to look like a maternity outfit.

Oh well. As somewhat of a fashion risk-taker, she's had many many HITS in her clothing selection. This one just happened to be a miss.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. I love that dress!

I wonder who designed it?

[SoCalDem]

16. Narciso Rodriguez.. link to his 2009 collection

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/S2009RTW-NRODRIGU?viewall=true

[Rosa Luxemburg]

23. Wow, thanks!

[kestrel91316]

26. Seventh row down, third one over.

[Blue Diadem]

18. It was definitely a planned color scheme for the family.

Actually I like the dress. I think the sweater/jacket was the wrong choice for it.

[NashVegas]

19. I Think People Are Reading Too Much Into It

I think it's a wonderful, striking look.

[FrenchieCat]

21. I agree. I believe that as strong as the dress was, she owned it!

[Lars39]

20. Perhaps her dress was the perfect compromise for jubilation and mourning?

The family is essentially in mourning. :(

[Mimosa]

43. WOW> I never thought of it. But you nailed it.

Lars, that makes sense. The dress was ugly. I love Michelle but that dress was seriously wrong.

[Left Is Write]

22. I think they dressed to coordinate with each other,

but I don't think it's any sort of code. I think they chose colors that look good on them, just as I would have.

[Norrin Radd]

27. I like it, but I'm an old school goth. It works for me.

[helderheid]

28. I love her and her style, but this screemed black widow to me!

[FrenchieCat]

29. Perhaps she was in mourning?

[firedupdem]

31. You see Oprah had on black and red today? It's a chicago thang! n/t

[1corona4u]

30. I hesitate to say it....and I really wish she would have chose something else...

but I didn't like it at all. I can hardly parse the words of the thing it reminded me of......so perhaps a photo...

[Merlot]

39. Unfortunatly, this is exactly what I thought of, too

[Kalyke]

42. Me, too.

And I happen to think Michelle is stunning, but that dress was... eh... not so much.

[rebecca_herman]

46. ACK SPIDER

But yeah. I'm not a fan of the dress. She usually dresses lovely though, I think.

[MISSDem]

32. At the risk of getting ripped apart - I think Michelle needs wardrobe advice.

I am an ardent supporter and have been since I first heard of them back in 2003 so don't say I don't love them. But as First Lady she needs someone with a good eye for what will make her look her very best. She is beautiful but like everyone, she has good points and not so good ones. This dress was not right for her or for the occasion, IMHO. The little girls looked adorable.

[Gin]

36. the dress didn't make sense to me.....IMO

she is very pretty...the dress was a distraction...

[Dervill Crow]

33. She certainly doesn't dress like Laura Bush.

I've seen Michelle Obama wear some really ugly clothing, but she still manages to look good.

[Vinca]

34. The only thing I didn't like about last night was her dress.

Seriously ugly. The girls were adorable though. I think, as First Lady, she should trend toward the elegant side.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

40. At least you're honest, unlike most people here. That dress was UGLY.

But it really doesn't matter. Michelle was beautiful. And the daughters were cute as could be (as always).

[Vinca]

41. Michelle is a gorgeous woman and she has worn some great outfits.

This one was butt ugly, though. Can't wait to see her gown for the Inaugural Ball.

[demmiblue]

35. I liked it. If I didn't, I would not have commented. To each their own!

[jesus_of_suburbia]

38. Thank you FrenchieCat! I can now appreciate her otherwise horrible dress, lol.

I like the way you think.

[maxsolomon]

44. if only she had worn a gold, pink, or orange pantsuit!

like a proper GOP wifey.

:eyes:

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

45. Its just a dress.

[1corona4u]

47. Yeah, but she's now the First Lady...

she will set the trend for many women in this country. If we're all being honest here, we have to admit that since she will be in the public eye more now, she and her wardrobe, as well as her hair, makeup, and over all style, will be scrutinized by the media. They do it to all First Ladies.

Some of her clothing is great, others-not so much.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

49. Meh, If you don't like what she wears then don't wear it. I hear that the "Pickles" collection

is on sale now!
:rofl:

[1corona4u]

50. Personally, nothing she wears is my style...

so it's not about me liking it. It's about her image. That was more my point. Remember Jackie O?

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

56. I know its not my job to say that no one should care what she wears

but have a great night :)

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

48. It's a pretty dress and she looks smashing in it I think.

[Brigid]

51. I like it very much.

I thought she looked great. What a lovely picture of a lovely family. :)

[JI7]

52. i did view the Red as a message of reaching out or unity

[Lil Missy]

53. Don't know about a coded message, but I thought she looked stunning!

[Cha]

55. I don't know but not everyone

could wear it and Michelle wore it well.