Was Michelle's dress THAT bad?

[Triana]

I've talked to numerous people who HATED it (Obama supporters even).

Said she should have worn a suit.

[Muttocracy]

1. In the still photos, it looks great to me. In the night setting with bright lights, on TV, less so.

[PatSeg]

I was thinking the same thing

That night I was really surprised by her choice, but today when I saw the candid photos, the dress looked fine. It was cute how the girls were dressed in black and red, and Mom's dress matched them both. I guess the dress just didn't come across on TV that well.

[quidam56]

98. Maybe the GOP will let her use the Palin suits

Aren't they supposed to be donated or sold ?

http://wisecountyissues.com

[dana_b]

148. Yes!

I really disliked it that night however in the after pictures it seems more flattering.

[TheBigotBasher]

201. The dress was great and as long as she

and President Elect Obama (still sounds good) thought so, who gives a stuff.

Bloody nora I thought I was reading posts from the flatulence or nothalfbigotedscum, never mind DU. Not even Freepers have sunk this low.

[Lisa0825]

2. I didn't like it.....

but it wasn't like a Bjork swan or anything. :shrug:

[Afikpo Chic]

81. A Very Ugly Dress

Mrs Obama has very limited taste when it comes to dressing. One minute she is dressed well and the next minute she dresses like UGHHHH. That black and red dress was horrific. Jesus, it was sooooooooo damn ugly and bad; it was certainly not something she should have worn on any day not to speak of such a big day. Mrs O needs some lessons on how to dress. She always looks good when she goes for simpler straight non-dramatic cuts.

Jesus, couldnt anyone tell her the truth when she chose the dress??? Please Mrs O, do not attempt such horror on you and hubby's upcoming BIG day.

[psychopomp]

101. I loved her in that dress

I do not know what you are complaining about. Mrs. Obama can choose her own clothes, I think she has been doing a great job!

[Lisa0825]

137. OK, you are wayyyyyyyy over the top here.

I didn't like the dress, but Michelle is a BEAUTIFUL woman and usually looks very nice. She usually has excellent taste in clothes.

[Cha]

155. Michelle's dress was fine..your post

however is fucking bullshit.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

211. The server is down 'over there'

and they have to post somewhere I guess. :)

[2bfree]

203. Loved the dress.

But I didn't care for the jacket part. Why be so bitter about what she wears? Mrs. Obama is a lovely person why be such a hater?

[Janice325]

3. I hadn't even thought about it until after the fact, when

folks here started talking about how much they disliked it. I think someone said she looked like a penguin.

[Triana]

7. I saw a lot of complaints about the color and ..

...the crossover thing in front.

I can't say it was the most attractive thing she's ever worn but it wasn't an impeachable offense!

It's tough having to kowtow to the public's fashion criteria (such as it is). Sheesh. Glad I don't have to do it!

[snake in the grass]

174. More like a Latrodectus mactans.

[vanderBeth]

4. WHAT?

I didn't particularly like it or dislike the dress, but a suit? I like it when females in politics or business don't wear the obligatory pant suit and opt for a dress or skirt and blouse (Sorry Hil)

[DeepBlueC]

30. I agree about the suit thing

It's become a cliche(and Project Runway will back me up on that). Turns out women can project power and competence in a dress. :)

[PatSeg]

40. That's true

Though I didn't care for this dress, she usually looks great. Her dress at the convention was so classy.

[Kitty Herder]

71. See, now I like suits. Dresses are frumpy and bring to mind church ladies.

A suit projects more confidence, more power.

And Michelle's dress was just flat-out ugly. She's beautiful. The dress was not.

[WinkyDink]

117. I've worn both, as a teacher. Meh. Maybe MO wanted to define her shape instead of her "power". ;)

[crim son]

5. People and their affinity for suits!

Let me say, I appreciate progressive attire and yet... I didn't feel absolutely comfortable with Michelle's dress BUT! compare it to anything Laura Bush or Cindy McCain ever wore, and it positively sparkled.

[yellerpup]

I bet it looked great in the mirror.

I'm sure it felt wonderful on her body, but on TV it made her look like a red and black snowman. I think she is fantastic, but if you look at shots of her from a distance it looks almost as if she's wearing a butt-front dress. She's an elegant woman with a great bod and beautiful face. There is nothing at all wrong with her or her taste, I just think it was the wrong choice for TV.

[Liberal_in_LA]

48. the black material crossing at the waist made the dress look weird. IMHO

I don't think she should be stoned for wearing it though... it was just a dress. shrug.

[yellerpup]

54. Right, just a dress. I would be embarrassed if she ever heard these comments

AS IF what she wears is any of our business. You're right, it was just a dress. I'm glad she didn't wear a suit although I thought Jill Biden looked lovely too and she was wearing a suit. It I was going to throw anything at either of them it would be flowers, not rocks.:shrug:

[rebel with a cause]

92. Thank you...

That is what I said about the dress. The thing at the waist was weird..

And it was just a dress/clothing..something that we have all made a bad choice about. That and our hair. ;)

[yellerpup]

186. Many decades ago a photo shoot for a commercial had to be rescheduled

because the hairdresser ratted my long hair so fiercely that it couldn't be combed out for four days. Regrets, I've had a few... :hi:

[xxqqqzme]

159. Butt front?

I thought it made her look 6 months pregnant. It was the color - red does not transmit well on TV. I'm certain the dress was lovely in person(it looked like it was beaded around the red ombre inserts) but it is not a TV friendly color combination.

[yellerpup]

187. Agreed that it was more a problem with TV than with the dress.

Rodriguez is one of my favorite designers (in theory, of course -- I can't afford him). The longer the shot the more distorted the image, IMHO.

[LakeSamish706]

6. Sorry, but unless she was sending a message with the red and black....

I certainly did not like it.... Now if she was intimating that Republicans should vote for Obama then it was great (by the colors)

Second edit to add: But thats ok, cause I love Barack and Michelle so it really doesn't matter what she wears....

[MNReformer]

113. The red and black was a theme

All the Obamas were wearing that color combination. I thought it rocked!

[seaker]

8. Black widow

Was my first impression...Must of looked better in person.

[GregD]

31. I thought that too, but didn't want to put words to it.

Why, oh why, did she pick that rag for such an important night?

[Maru Kitteh]

76. Yup. We have many BW spiders around here.

When I see a red hourglass shape on a black background with a pinched waist, that's what I think of.

[Zuiderelle]

127. Oh please. What a nasty thing to say.

[pipi_k]

133. Why is that a nasty thing to say?

That's exactly what I thought, too.

It looked like the underside of a black widow spider


I tried to put the image out of my mind, but just couldn't. That's what it looked like. Nothing nasty about it

:shrug:

[SoCalDem]

208. That was my first thought too , and I was roundly attacked here that night

for saying it.. and I was not the only one.. "google Michelle Obama spider dress"
....................
Web

Results 1 - 10 of about 54,400 for michelle obama spider dress.

.........................

After I got over the spider thought, the other implications popped into my head too, and I could not bear to think them...:(

I was wishing she had chosen a great looking black dress, or they had chosen a nice blue theme..

[NYC_SKP]

162. Black Widow Spiders are actually stunningly beautiful creatures.....

The poster meant no harm, loves Michelle, trust me...

[NYC_SKP]

160. OMG....You're right!!!!

:hi:

[NYC_SKP]

188. Hey, seaker.....psssst....come here....

You're right, in the stark bright lights, it came off as very black widow-ish, and there were probably better choices.

Here's a picture of the dress in the family context, looks like they had a black/red thing going on.

The dress doesn't look too bad in this shot:



:hi:

[mshasta]

218. is not the dress

is the sweater..and the shoes..me I hate flats

[Beacool]

215. Yep, That's what most people I know thought of it.

Black widow spider.

Also, why dress a 7 year old child all in black the night her dad wins the presidency?

[WorseBeforeBetter]

9. I didn't think it was flattering to her figure, and the sleeves were too short.

I don't think it did much for her as far as color, either, like that turquoise-ish one did.

I would have preferred a suit or more tailored dress, but there are bigger things to worry about than Michele Obama's election night attire.

[Triana]

15. "bigger things to worry about than Michele Obama's election night attire."

That was also my take - (I could take the dress or leave it) but I've heard from people about that dress since Tuesday night! Hell, HISTORY was made and they're off on a tangeant about a *dress*!

[WorseBeforeBetter]

25. I didn't mean that as a slam against you...

I'm also surprised at the frenzy over a dress! LOL But having said that, there was something off about it as far as proportion: the sleeves, the waistline and the length.

[Triana]

28. What the...

..I think my previous reply was to the wrong message.

Well nevermind. Anyway - don't worry - no offense taken!

[WorseBeforeBetter]

52. Nah... you were good.

I confused the issue. Michele looked radiant in this:



I wonder how she looks in winter white? That might have been a nice complement to the black/red theme.

[Triana]

65. Now THAT is nice...

...clean, simple lines are best, I think.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

67. We might have similar tastes...

I think something like this might have worked really well to soften the red/black, with the right hose, shoes and jewelry (picky, picky!):



(Geez, I guess I do care about the dress. LOL)

[chimpymustgo]

164. I love your taste. The lava lamp, black widow spider dress - damn near an impeachable offense.

Michelle is too beautiful for that. Shame too, for an image that will last forever.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

184. Thanks. Fashion do's/don'ts can be quite entertaining... I'll admit it!

It will be interesting to watch Michelle's fashion sense evolve over the next 8 (yeah!) years. I guess like Lady Di, there will be some major duds, but mostly stunners.

[lib_wit_it]

166. This turquoise dress looks amazing on her!

I loved the purple "fist-bump" dress, as well. Unlike that the red and black number. Thumbs down on that one.

As has been said here repeatedly, the weird cinching or whatever it was in the middle looked very odd. It completely distorted her shape. Plus, it appeared to have some cheap looking sparkle to it. Also, did she add a black short sweater to it? It looked that way to me and I thought maybe if we'd seen the entire dress not distorted by the addition it may have made more sense.

Of course, it's really not the most important thing, but Michelle is so beautiful and usually looks so great. I happen to have a strong interest in and strong opinions about design, and it was disappointing on such a huge and happy occasion for her look to fall short of what I'm used to with her.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

185. Oh yeah... THIS was a winner.

I think she did add the sweater to the dress; with or without, I still don't like it.



(I don't feel guilty doing this... I've been railing against the incompetence, corruption and greed of the Bush Maladministration for 8 LONG years and a girl deserves a silly distraction!)

[XemaSab]

10. Yes

n/t

[Nite Owl]

11. I didn't like it but in person

it might have looked great. It just didn't do tv well.

[sandnsea]

12. I'm glad she doesn't wear suits, I hate them

I love her dresses although I didn't like the waistline of the red/black one.

[undeterred]

13. It was fine- but hard to appreciate on TV.

When I saw the pictures of her the next day, I liked the dress and it looked good on her. But at night in that lighting it was hard to tell what she was wearing and while it didn't look bad, it wasn't her best. But it was fine.

[Kipepeo]

14. Who really cares about that stuff?

Is that really what anyone was focusing on? She looked great.

[Triana]

20. When they saw the election night photos - (these are friends/family)...

..they went OFF on the dress - so - I guess at least that small group of people were focusing on it. And then, I've seen comments (really derogatory ones) elsewhere about it too. Jeeeze. People are so easily damning.

[Fearless]

147. Exactly! And it's not like it was supposed to be a beauty pageant either.

[Left Is Write]

16. No, and there was no reason for her to wear a suit.

[emilyg]

17. Yes it was that bad.

[Mojorabbit]

85. I agree

my husband who normally pays no attention to fashion was the first to voice it when she came out. He said it reminded him of a black widow spider and he never comments on clothes.

[Smuckies]

18. No.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

19. I love that it upset as many people as it did.

:)

[Triana]

23. Heh. I am puzzled by it. Not upset at all - but puzzled ...

...given the historic nature of what had just happened.

But - well, whatever. :shrug:

[A-Schwarzenegger]

97. Puzzled is good. I'll take puzzled.

Even better than upset. :)

[AlCzervik]

24. me too, and it's a refreshing change from Haute couture couch line Mrs. Bush has been sporting

for the past 8 years. Furniture all of the country is resting easy again knowing they'll keep their skin.

[Muttocracy]

78. LOL!

:rofl:

[Hieronymus]

21. Awful dress.

[Chorophyll]

22. Oh for the love of...

I look forward to the day when women will be judged not by their wardrobes but by the content of their character.

[Triana]

26. THANK YOU.

I hope you don't mind if I don't hold my breath waiting for that day.

[rebel with a cause]

94. And if Barack had came out in a powder blue tux

would no one have taken notice? :rofl:

Clothes are just clothes but when you wear something as bright and different as Michelle's dress, it does get your attention. I didn't like the dress, but then it was no big deal. I just try not to look at the dress in the pictures. Avoidance therapy? :9

[myrna minx]

107. Thank you.

:applause:

[1Hippiechick]

123. Ya know, only my AA friends commented. And I think it is because they scrutinized every detail, and

didn't want to leave room for any criticism. I didn't ask them why the dress choice was such a big deal to them. I will say that of everything I have seen her wear, this was my least favorite. But whom am I to say?

[redqueen]

196. THANK YOU.

Superficial idiocy... ugh.

[AyanEva]

27. I don't think it was.

I love the dress she wore.

[Blue For You]

29. I wish clothing on political figures (& spouses) was not an issue.

But is seems everything is about fashion these days. She usually dresses quite tastefully. Maybe she blew it with that one (the dress, not Barack lol!).

[1Hippiechick]

156. Glad it WAS an issue re Failin Palin! :)

[lunatica]

32. When I see photos of it up close I like it

On stage it just looked like an hourglass design and the black was shiny which I didn't like. But the more I see it otherwise the more I like it. Some clothes just don't translate well when seen from a distance and under glaring lights.

[TTUBatfan2008]

33. I thought the dress was fine...

Then again, I'm a young male. :)

[stuntcat]

34. I think she was beautiful

:blush:

[Veruca Salt]

198. I think she was too!

And adore that the dress is an American label! She has such lovely taste in outfits and the following article notes she doesn't use a stylist (just like oh... 95% of woman in our country):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/3388432/Michelle-Obamas-election-night-dress-upsets-Americas-fashion-crowd.html

I love this quote from the article about the dress as well:

“That dress was unpretentious,” said Julie Gilhart, the fashion director of Barneys New York. “It said, ‘Be who you are — don’t let someone else tell you how to be.’ ”

I look up to her as a role model in many respects, and I know she's going to set new fashion trends for America! :loveya:

[stuntcat]

210. 'don't let someone else tell you how to be.'

exactly! I think that was what I liked about how she looked.. she wears what she likes and I think she's always beautiful.

[obama44]

35. She's a grown woman. She can dress however she pleases.

She doesn't need white folks telling her how to dress herself. Didn't the 13th amendment pass back in 1864? :eyes:

[AlCzervik]

37. everyone commenting in this thread is white?

[obama44]

50. Everybody seriously discussing this issue

doesn't have their priorities straight.

[AlCzervik]

53. and that has what to do with your comment about white people?

[jonnyblitz]

57. he is pissed at white people for pointing out the AA "yes on 8"

poll result. I wonder if he hates the AA and other minority DUers that are concerned about it, too. so anyways now he hates gays and white folk and isn't going to support gay marraige because people are discussion this poll.

[AlCzervik]

58. good to know and i won't bother adding him to my buddy list, he won't make it past 100.

[1Hippiechick]

126. Maybe the poster thinks the critics are white? I only heard AA friends discuss the dress. n/t

[progressivebydesign]

62. Can you see through your monitor see what color we all are?

I guarantee that we're not all "white folks"

[WorseBeforeBetter]

70. I'm more of a Bucky Katt 'pink'. (n/t)

[emilyg]

105. Is DU all white. Now you tell me.

[Zombie2]

36. NO... and who cares? Why does it really matter?

Maybe she sould have just worn a towl.

[Spirochete]

38. I thought it looked kind of bizarre n/t

[FarCenter]

39. Who made Michelle Obama's dress?

"First, let's get this out of the way: The red and black dress that Michelle Obama wore Tuesday night in Grant Park was not the work of Maria Pinto, the Chicago-based designer behind some of Obama's more telegenic fashion statements in shapely grape and smoky turquoise.

Instead, Tuesday night's dress--with its "Star Trek"-like molecular burst on the front ("Beam me up, Barack") and crisscross sash--comes hot off the spring 2009 runway collection of Narciso Rodriguez, one of the most critically acclaimed of New York Fashion Week.

Unfortunately, two key tweaks to the runway version of the dress, presumably made to take it from cocktail-sexy to first-ladylike, disrupted its intentions and architecture. (Check out the sleeveless original at style.com.)"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-michelle-obama-dress-story,0,1949360.story

[CitizenLeft]

149. thank you for that link, I had never seen the original dress before.

She probably loved the dress, but made those alterations because it was too short, and because she may have been a little chilly in a sleeveless dress on a November night, even with such beautiful weather.

I personally hated the dress myself. LOVED the teal dress she wore for her convention speech - it suited her height and lovely figure PERFECTLY. Because she's so tall, I think solids look best on her, but I loved the black/white sundress she wore on the View.

I don't think it was a big deal, and no, it's not important, and no, I don't even remotely judge her by what she wears, she's always very tastefully dressed - but the dress itself couldn't help but provoke a reaction.

[lib_wit_it]

172. Yes, I should have read this before I posted.

It's just what I thought and was trying to say.

[El Fuego]

183. Seen up close it was nice, but from a distance it was strange looking.

From a distance, at night, she had big orange Halloween belly that made you go "What the hell?"

[KathieG]

41. No.

[Tutonic]

42. Not if she's somebody's cleaning lady. Hell Yes it was bad. She

better get her a stylist.

[Pirate Smile]

43. No. I guess it just elicited strong opinions. I liked it but I do know of Obama supporters who

didn't and others that did. Oh well.

[helderheid]

44. It screamed black widow

[DangerousRhythm]

45. Wow, I loved her dress!

I am highly partial to the colors red and black, but I thought her dress was bold and classy all at the same time. :)

[salbi]

46. It was an ugly dress, but so what?

I didn't like the dress at all, but it took nothing away from the amazing night.

[roseBudd]

47. It was not bad, but I liked others much more

[The Traveler]

49. Maybe I'm just a freak

but I thought she was stunning. IMHO.

Trav

[greendog]

51. The dress was fine.

Jeezus.

How many different dresses is she going to be photographed in over the next 4 - 8 years?

Are we going to go ape-shit every time she wears one we don't care for?

C'mon people! Get a grip.

[RamboLiberal]

55. I thought she looked great

I'm surprised so many on DU are fashion police.

[Maru Kitteh]

56. I thought it came across poorly on television.

I usually love what she wears but that dress was bad.

[TexasObserver]

59. I thought it was great. A suit? NO.

[dkf]

60. The sleeveless version is really nice.

But it looked completely different with sleeves. It didn't convert well at all.

The red looked a lot more dominant on Michelle's dress vs. the sleeveless.

[LisaL]

75. It sure looked a lot better in the original form.

[progressivebydesign]

61. I love her because she DIDN'T wear a suit! She dressed true to herself..

.. and it was gorgeous. The reason people love her style is because she didn't fall into that creepy blue suit thing... she buys dresses from regular retailers and loves to shop online.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

68. Michele wears suits.

Just not boring ones... they definitely have some flair:

Michelle Obama Dresses Better Than You Do
EmailWritten by blacksnob on Mar-1-08 11:51am
From: blacksnob.blogspot.com

http://www.zimbio.com/Michelle+Obama/articles/22/Michelle+Obama+Dresses+Better

[wisteria]

63. I love Michelle, but that dress did her no justice. You needed to be a 10 ft tall maniquin for that

dress to look good on you. She must have been exhausted when she picked it out.

[applegrove]

64. It was a cocktail dress she wore with a black sweater. So she sorta

distorted the dress. It wouldn't have been appropriate to wear a cocktail dress at Grant Park. She had to dress it down with a sweater. Big mistake. But who really cares anyhow. She was gorgeous as were her kids. Dam that is one fine looking family.

[Triana]

66. They are a beautiful family. It's nice to have a first family we can be proud of...

...once again.

[rebel with a cause]

96. Beautiful family, Beautiful girls.

this is my final thoughts on the dress. No, I didn't like it, but I loved the dresses the girls wore. And as a mother, my thoughts always went more into what my children wore than what I did. That is what I thought about Michelle, she is a devoted mother and maybe she picked out her girls dresses and then something for herself that went with theirs. :shrug:

doesn't matter. They all looked great in spite of the dress. :eyes:

[happychatter]

69. I'm a man... I notice body language and comportment.... personal energy... the eyes

I guess women notice dresses

sucks 2 b u

edited to add: I had NOT noticed her dress at all, couldn't remember what she was wearing.... until people went on about it in DU

[WorseBeforeBetter]

72. No, we notice ties too...

and had great fun at the expense of the CNN crew on election night. They were a MESS. :P

P.S. Thank you Stephen Colbert and Keith Olbermann.

[redqueen]

197. Yeah I noticed it. I noticed it's a frickin dress...

these fashionistas make me literally ill.

[Tektonik]

73. It was not flattering to her figure

It was really that horrible.

[MNReformer]

115. I agree it did not flatter her figure. n/t

[Waiting For Everyman]

74. It was really bad, but that's ok.

She has always shown great taste otherwise. Everybody's entitled to a "miss" now and then. Actually, it didn't really look to me like it was her choice, because it was so different from her other looks. I wondered if someone else recommended it to her.

[Beausoir]

77. WHY are you focusing on what she wears??

Jesus. Give the sexism a rest.

[Quantess]

100. Women wear a more interesting variety of clothing choices than men,

which is why people comment more often on women's outfits. When men start surprising us with their outfits, we'll all sit up and take notice.

[lib_wit_it]

170. It's not sexist. It's fashionist. Better fashionist than fascist!

Michelle obviously enjoys and promotes fashion, so she's in on this thing, too.

Not a great dress. Not a big deal, but everything we discuss doesn't have to be a big deal.

[Bread and Circus]

79. I liked it and thought she looked lovely.

[GetTheRightVote]

80. Yes, it was bad not good at all, Not what you would expect from her.

I thought you looked pregnant myself and I am kind of hopeful about it too.

:kick:

[quakerboy]

82. Really couldnt care.

She could dress in anything from a cabaret outfit to a pregnant suit, and it wouldn't matter in the least to me.

I guess one could say that fashion isn't my thing.

[smiley_glad_hands]

83. She wears dresses? OMG

[Silver Swan]

84. Did anyone click the link to the runway version?

Perhaps she shouldn't have worn the little cardigan, but the dress in it's original form was gorgeous.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-narciscodress20081105191045,0,7348061.photo

[1Hippiechick]

128. Not the same dress - must be a knock-off. Compare necklines, M's dress has a LOT more red than the

runway version. I didn't read the article - it may be about the fact that it IS a knock-off.

[rvablue]

143. It's not a knock off. Rodriguez, the designer, tailored it for her

to make the neckline and hemline more modest.

It is not a knock off.

[shaysings]

206. Stupid comment. Ever heard of alterations?

[sammytko]

145. I liked the original. Maybe a little shorter and get rid of the cardigan

The red area was too big. Maybe a taller heel??

[Vektor]

86. No, it was gorgeous. Kind of edgy, and it's about damn time.

I am all for some style in the white house, and Michelle Obama has GOT IT.

[Dems4me]

87. I really did not like the dress. Fine for another occasion but not for that

particular event.

[political_Dem]

88. Truthfully, yes it was.

I'm sorry to say it, but her dress was an eyesore.

[FrenchieCat]

89. She looked gorgeous on all of the Newspaper covers that I saw her on......

So, in the end, the dress worked.

But yes, it may have been an acquired taste, very much out of the box....which from her, I'm starting to expect. I think the sweater distorted the dress, but beyond that, she looked young and vibrant and original; and that was priceless!

[Top Cat]

180. I thought Michelle looked great....She is setting a trend with her style

[Quantess]

90. It was interesting, and fairly nice.

Not terrible, not great. An odd choice, but she still looked lovely.

[DesertRat]

91. Tonight Kathy Griffin called it a "fire and brimstone" dress

I thought it was funny and accurate! BTW, Kathy is a huge Barack and Michelle Obama fan.

[SwampG8r]

93. i dont think she was dressing to please me

i think she was dressing to please herself and maby marginally her husband
the dress live may have been much more flattering than in photos or tv

and barack may like a girl in a nice dress

everyone foregoes mentioning it but there is a very strong sexual tension(not sure if thats the right word) between those two and it shows

i recognize it because i have it too
the italians call it being thunderstruck

:
see her looking?

see that hug?

see that look?

i am enjoying the fact that we have a couple so in love.
i frankly expect to see the white house nursery used for the first time since 1963

[CTyankee]

140. Newsweek has a mention about how reporters chuckled that Obama was a lot "looser" after

a night spent at home or on the road with Michelle.

Thank god we have a sexually satisfied human in the White House! We've had too damn many of the uptight ones!

[juajen]

95. Yep, it was that bad. Usually she looks great, but there have been

a couple of times that I felt her clothing was inappropriate, one other dress that was just two tight and too short,and this black and red fiasco.

[Indenturedebtor]

99. I thought it was hideous... and I think Michelle is groovy and generally makes

good fashion choices. My wife described the dress as "unfortunate" :shrug: Oh well. we've all worn ugly stuff before.

[Maru Kitteh]

106. not really. no.

[jsmirman]

112. I'm with you: hideous. But didn't care all that much other than

to find a chuckle in what was otherwise a very emotional night.

[b2b55]

102. It was a wonderful dress.

[Crunchy Frog]

103. I liked it. A little unorthodox looking, but I think she pulled it off.

Much better than the drapery and upholstery that Laura and Cindy wear.

[TexanDem]

104. It was a tacky dress - a friend, who loves her, got excited thinking she looked pg. lol

[Norrin Radd]

108. I liked it. Everyone who hates it has boring, mainstream taste.

[Awsi Dooger]

109. It was a Humpty Dumpty dress with a hideous color scheme

Someone else said it wasn't flattering to her figure. I nominate that for understatement of the decade.

If someone is determined to lose his eyesight, stare at the intersection of the two colors, and you won't have to wait long.

Look at it this way, if a Republican had worn it this forum would have been in hysterics for days/weeks.

[EmilyAnne]

110. I loved it. Absolutely loved it.

I do think it would have looked much better without the cardigan. Then, the unusual banded details at the waste/ bust would have made more visual sense from a distance. It was an edgier selection than we have seen on a first lady.

The dress as shown on the beanpole model on the Narciso Rodriguez website looks pretty and interesting. There is so much textural detail that is only noticeable close up such as glossy satin, sheer layers, small tufts and gathers of fabric that create a black and red ombre (glowing) motif. So, I suppose the beauty of the dress is lost from afar. Its definitely not dowdy nor Beauty Queen nor Jackie-O retro.

I don't understand the people who think its UGLY. Unusual, yes. Unexpected, yes. But UGLY? Seriously?

Joe Scarborough sure was bitching about her "ugly" dress, by the way, and I figure that anything he doesn't "get" deserves, at least, a second look.

[lib_wit_it]

173. Well, I really thought it was awful-looking, but it's still 1000 times

better than anything ever looked on Mourning Joe--his personality would destroy even the hautest couture!

[ibegurpard]

111. No

It wasn't my favorite thing I've seen her wear but it wasn't that bad.

[spelldmilk]

114. I liked it, I thought she looked great w/the kids.

[TheDonkey]

116. Worn a suit!? WTF, that would have been an awful idea. I loved the dress

looks really nice on photographs.

[iamthebandfanman]

118. who cares? its clothing. n/t

[DawgHouse]

119. I didn't even notice the dress

until I started reading threads about it! I was too busy looking at all those smiling faces. :)

[a kennedy]

120. Awww jeez, are we really going here???

D*mn. I thought we as a community would be so past this kind of stuff. :eyes:

[1Hippiechick]

122. I didn't think twice about the dress. My AA friends talked about it...a LOT. n/t

[Pisces]

121. I love Michelle, but I think she should have worn a suit. Jill Biden looked fabulous.

[MoonRiver]

124. I thought it was extremely weird. BUT WHO CARES????

I hope we don't have to spend 4 to 8 years obsessing about Michelle's clothes like we did Laura's. Hey, everybody! There are a few more important things to talk about. :eyes:

[AuntPatsy]

125. Are people really this petty? Is a better question...

[Bad Thoughts]

129. Something from Neiman Marcus? Maybe Saks?

I think we can argue about the dress itself, the way it was presented, etc. However, it was consistent with her style. Putting her in a suit would have been to paint her as some other kind of political figure.

[October]

130. She might not be a "suit" woman. I'm not. The dress wasn't a fav

She wore than green number during the Convention, and looked fantastic.

I didn't love the "red" dress, but she wore it well.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

131. i loved it.

[spanone]

132. who cares

[pipi_k]

134. I don't know about it being that bad, but

It's definitely not something I would wear


Not that there was anything wrong with the colors...I like bold colors

just the pattern was a bit odd...


oh well

[pipi_k]

135. Oh, and to people who are asking who cares and

whether people really are that petty....


I don't really care either. People can wear whatever the hell they want to.

But the question was asked, and people gave their opinions.


Just wondering what's wrong with that...

[Justpat]

136. Hated it.

The red part looked like a furnace in an old steel mill or something.

[amoreena]

138. Liked the dress...

and the fact that our new first lady dares to be original and different. What's up with the cookie cutter mentality that everybody has to dress the same??

[Justpat]

165. What the hell are you talking about?

Who said everyone has to dress the same?
I expressed an opinion that I hate the dress. Big deal. From my opinion, how do you draw the inference that
I believe in a cookie cutter fashion policy?


I love Michelle Obama and think she will make a great first lady for our country no matter what she
chooses to wear. I don't care if she dresses like a tele tubby or queen elizabeth.

[madaboutharry]

139. I don't want to see her in a suit.

My first impression was "UGH!" I even posted that I hated it. But now I am kind of neutral. I saw a picture of that dress on a model and I just think it looked bad on TV. She has worn things I have liked a lot better, though.

[LisaL]

176. The dress that model wore was modified for Michelle to wear

and I think after that it came out all wrong. To me it seems like it went all out of proportion. The model's dress has no sleeves, short bodice, lacy skirt. It was all changed for Michelle's dress to make it more modest and I think it didn't come out well.

[MaineDem]

141. I thought it was terrible

It was strange looking. Michelle is such a stylish woman but that dress did nothing for her.

I don't think there was a need for her to wear a suit but that dress wasn't the right choice. (Has Tim Gunn commented?)

[treestar]

142. Not to me

I thought it was cool.

I'm not real picky on these things.

[IndianaGreen]

144. One daughter was wearing black, the other one red. Michelle's had both colours.

I thought it was okay.

[Erin Elizabeth]

146. I didn't think it was hideous at all, just confusing.

When I first saw it on TV, I couldn't figure it out, because of that black band wrapped around the waist and the other black on the dress. I was all "is that a two piece thing with a cummerbund? A dress with....something....on it? What the heck is that?"

Once I saw a regular picture of it on the internet, I "got" it. It was far from the most horrible thing I've ever seen worn, though.

And the fug girls said nothing about it, so I don't know how to think on it:

http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/

[northernlights]

150. red is a tricky color on tv

I'm surprised nobody warned her to avoid bright red on tv -- it does wierd, blinding, funhouse, op-art sorts of things on the viewers screens.

Black is another tricky color (or lack of color) in that all details and shapes tend to disappear, especially in night lighting.

The result on my tv was really bizarre, mostly for her with the big red 'bubbles' and shapeless black, but also for her daughters.

In photos, where you can see the details of the color and the lacey bottom, the dress is striking. And I'm sure it's equally striking in real life and in decent lighting.

It just was a poor choice of colors for her and for her daughters for tv, and especially outside at night.

[LisaL]

154. The dress didn't have the lacey bottom.

The original had a lacey bottom, not the one Michelle had on.

[kiranon]

151. Love most of her choices but not the red and black dress.

On television it looked like 2 red and black mylar balloons that deflated. But 99% of the time I love her choices. No one gets it right 100% of the time and no one can please everyone. Fashion is personal.

[butterfly77]

152. NO...

[JFN1]

153. I didn't care for it, myself

I don't like multi-colored patterns like that - the dress itself was really pretty, but the red, didn't do it for me...

[ObamaKerryDem]

157. I thought it was beautiful...

:shrug:

[gauguin57]

158. Yes, it was bad. Looked like black widow spider dress ... red hourglass on black background.

Black and red are fine ... that particular dress just didn't read well on TV, and it wasn't flattering to her figure.

But, really, who cares? She's a beautiful, brilliant woman. And she'll wear hundreds of lovely (and affordable-to-the-masses) outfits as First Lady ... and who's gonna really care about one dress that didn't look so hot.

[Allyoop]

161. Nope

She is usually very well dressed and I liked the idea of being color co-ordinated (black on Obama and Sasha and red/black on Michelle, red on Malia) but this dress did not flatter Michelle. Maybe it was because the sweater squared off the top. The dress was designed as sleeveless and might have looked better alone. If this was her first wardrobe mistake she's entitled.

[seaker]

205. That's what I thought

Nice to know I was not the only one.

[book_worm]

163. I really don't care--what do I know about fashion am I Mr. Blackwell or something?

[lib_wit_it]

179. I'm new here, so I don't really know, and I probably shouldn't say,

but, I thought it was just Yahoo Answers where people who didn't know the answer or weren't really interested in the question posted responses.

Doesn't anyone just say to themselves, "I'm not into that topic, I think I'll move on to another?"

Just asking... :shrug:

[Owl]

167. I liked it!

[Skittles]

168. not her best but I have never seen her look bad

she's just a lovely gal

[Basement Beat]

169. I seriously cannot believe a dress is getting so much attention...(nt)

[Cleita]

171. I think it probably looked a lot better in person.

Black seems to do strange things for the cameras so probably is not a good choice if you are going to be on TV and photographed. She might want to get a fashion consultant, with experience in TV and film to steer her towards outfits that are better for the camera.

[lib_wit_it]

175. I agree. It seems clear that she's pretty interested in fashion, and

I'm sure she wants to look great. I'll bet if she'd seen how that dress was going to come off, with the tv affect and the various "distortions" of the designer's intent, she would have worn something else.

On the other hand, I'm glad she isn't wearing those freaking boring-ass Republican suits. Hillary Clinton (dresses like one)and whatsername Bush are two of the worst for that creepy polyester ugly shapeless so-called style. Michelle Obama is somewhat of a modern Jackie Kennedy fashion-wise, and I dig that, especially with Barack lookin' all Rat Packy with his amazingly classy looks.

[EFerrari]

207. It didn't video well. It looked like she had a satin coat tied around her waist

by the sleeves. Maybe it was lovely in person.

But, she could have worn a barrel, I was so happy to be seing HER. LOL

[Milspec]

177. Frankly I didn't notice the dress but

I went to bed after the victory speech. Seeing on the web, its not very flattering IMHO, red is a TV no-no in most cases. It could have cost Michelle an election HAD SHE BEEN RUNNING FOR OFFICE. I doubt very much that some campaign handler tells her how to dress. I'm surprised that I have waisted my limited supply of key strokes even replying to this.

[Orsino]

178. I am not fashion-aware at all, but even I thought it was unattractive.

It did make her look hippy, didn't it? Neat colors, though.

[mtnsnake]

181. When I saw her dress I thought I was stuck in traffic

waiting for the light to turn green. But it never did :shrug:

[Doctor_J]

182. Let's see how long the freepers can drag this talking point out

I am guessing this will die the week of the Super Bowl

[mbee]

189. I loved it and thought is was very forward looking the way

the colors sort of meshed together. I got a message from it that we are now going outside the box which I love. Of course, fashion is my thing and even though I love the Jackie Kennedy look I also like to see all the new types of looks that designers come up with. There were some outfits I saw during the campaign worn by people that are filthy rich (won't mention names)that were down right dowdy looking in my opinion. I think Michele has good taste, but it might not always exactly fit into a certain predictable mold.

[Phx_Dem]

190. I wasn't wild about on Tuesday night, but it's grown on me.

It wouldn't have been my choice, but it wasn't horrible.

[Lux]

191. I Loved the Love

I loved the dress. My husband was intriqued by it and couldn't stop talking about it. Mainly, we both loved the love that was on the stage that night.

[acmavm]

192. Holy smokes, nothing like sweatin' the small stuff. Now if she would have

walked up to the microphone, grabbed it and said "Now you've done it you fools. You belong to us now, we will do what we want and what we want is the total subjegation of the human race. Now get down on your bellies and kiss my feet".

Then I think I'd be a little upset about anything she said or did.

[paregdem]

193. The dress was great, she is great, her husband is awesome! Ditto for Jill & Joe n/t

[Demi_Babe]

194. I liked it...non-conformist

[TwilightGardener]

195. Not my favorite of her outfits, but it wasn't horrifying either.

[Honeycombe8]

199. It was AWFUL. Doesn't mean she still didn't look good herself. But the dress was AWFUL!nt

[vanderBeth]

200. You guys do realize this thread has over 200 replies now

and has been going on for 3 days. Over a dress.

[surrealAmerican]

202. We just had unrealistically high expectations.

Everything else we'd seen her in looked so good.

[shaysings]

204. Luckily First Ladies don't have to look like Barbara Bush anymore.

I wasn't thrilled with the dress but I was happy to see that she wasn't pressured to look like a pant-suited or frumpy old lady who doesn't give a damn about what she wears anymore. Next subject please. Geesh! :eyes:

[Stuckinthebush]

209. No, but this thread is

n/t

[Sheltiemama]

212. I didn't care for it.

This may be one of those cases where a dress looks better in person than on TV. But she was still beautiful. And the girls' dresses were darling.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

213. She's beautiful

so was the dress. But there was something that was very distracting about it when she walked on the stage. It caught my attention way too much and I usually don't pay much attention to what people are wearing. She still looked great though.

[Fire1]

214. I understand the message conveyed to the american people, but

DAMN! SOMEBODY teach her how to dress! Her 'style' of clothes does NOTHING for her.

[bridgit]

216. didn't seem a bright moment to me

[SarahB]

217. Wow, another petty, non-issue! nt