Things Pondered: Michelle Obama's fashion sense

Sorry for the slowdown at the Cafe. After 3 weeks of struggling with what my doctor called "something viral," I am finally feeling almost 100%. The mind does funny things when the body is ailing and, after hours and hours of feeling horrible and watching distressing cable news stories, this particular mind found refuge in pondering Michelle Obama's fashion sense.

First of all, I should confess that I am someone who made a Michelle Obama inspired dress purchase this fall. But, I'm also someone who actively followed the Obama campaign and is excited by the idea of a "Michelle 2016" campaign. My interest in Obama's fashion sense is, in part, rooted in my own fondness for her dresses and fantastic kitten heel shoes. Mostly, however, I am fascinated by the ways in which her style has been politicized but also how style has become political in ways I do not recall seeing before.

In discussions of her sense of style, her choice of dress is routinely read as indicative of something larger, something more powerful, something more important than just a well chosen, well-tailored dress. In Saturday's Globe and Mail, there was an interesting article on the front page of the style section: "Relevant, Modern, Fresh, Cool, Self-Assured, Accessible, Poised, Unpretentious, Michelle." In this article, Amy Verner writes, "don't call her the new Jackie Kennedy. Michelle Obama's accessible chic says more about the culture at large than the world of haute labels."

Indeed, part of what seems to make Michelle Obama so accessible is many of her clothes come from stores we see at our local malls--albeit sometimes some of the upper end malls. Stores like Target, H & M, J. Crew and Black Market White House are accessible in ways that Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s New York and Macy’s are not. In the summer, US Weekly also announced on its front page that Michelle shopped at Target. Perhaps Michelle Obama's appeal is rooted in a kind of sartorial "Yes We Can" idea. In writing about Target's partnership with Thakoon, one of Michelle Obama's favourite designers, New York Magazine writes "Sounds like we'll be getting Michelle Obama fare, which means we can all dress like her for New Year's!" In other words, with Michelle Obama-inspired wear at Target, the slogan might be "yes we can (perhaps) afford it."

Is Michelle Obama's sense of style bigger than "mere fashion"? It may well be. Contrast the stories about Michelle Obama's dresses from H&M, J. Crew and Black Market White House with some of the other fashion stories floating around during the election. And, more recently, A New York Times article suggests Obama may in fact be able to "Save America’s Fashion Industry?"

Interestingly, the Globe and Mail article also cites Suzanne Boyd, editor in chief of Zoomer Magazine, who notes, "There was never a run on anything Laura Bush wore." Change we can believe in? So it would seem.

Some other links perhaps of interest: Michelle Obama Fashion and Style, Michelle Obama: What Should She Wear, and the First Lady Fashion Quiz (I scored 11/15)