Over the years, Michelle Obama's sartorial agenda has embraced everything from bold hues and cozy knits to elegant chiffon gowns and refined A-line silhouettes. Yet it was one outfit in particular that first caught the eye of her future husband, Barack Obama – the sleek '80s power suit. Ahead of the release of her stylebook, The Look, the 61-year-old opened up to People about how her style has evolved from her early days as an attorney to her time gracing the White House as First Lady. Michelle was asked what her go-to look was back when she worked as a high-powered attorney – the time when she first came across Barack.
"I am certain that it was some kind of '80s power suit," she shared. "You had to show up at your corporate law firm in a uniform: a very, very shouldered suit, some kind of feminine-ish blouse, pantyhose, which I hated. Now that I mention it, I don’t know what he saw. I'm like, that doesn’t sound very sexy. It was the '80s."
© Michelle Obama"Beautifully illustrated with more than 200 photographs, including never-before-seen images, The Look is a stunning journey through Michelle Obama’s style evolution, in her own words for the first time," reads the synopsis. "In this celebration of style, from the moment she entered the public eye during her husband’s U.S. Senate campaign through her time as the first Black First Lady of the United States and today as one of the country’s most influential figures, Michelle Obama shares how she uses the beauty and intrigue of fashion to draw attention to her message."
First Lady power dressing
Michelle also addressed the impact her style choices had on the public during her tenure in the White House from 2009 to 2017. "I didn’t pay attention to it," she admitted. "I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole of listening to other people’s comments about my physical self, whether good or bad. But I liked the fact that, in hindsight, people identified with what I was wearing. Because if I wore something and it could sell out, that meant that most women could afford to buy it. And I thought that’s a good thing. I wanted the people of America, all people of all races, of all political persuasions, to be able to connect with me." The sartorial impact was dubbed "The Michelle Obama Effect". For example, when Michelle donned a $148 printed tank dress from the retail chain White House Black Market on The View in 2008, the design instantly sold out.
© WireImageThe former First Lady's wardrobe boasted a variety of labels, from high-end pieces like her rose-gold chainmail gown from Atelier Versace for the 2016 State dinner to more affordable fashion finds, such as J.Crew sweaters. Michelle admitted that she continues to explore her style even now that she has entered her sixties. "It’s freedom. Braids allow me to get them done, and then that’s one less thing that I have to think about," she shared. "When I’m out of the public eye, I am swimming, I am playing tennis and braids represent that kind of freedom for me. [In the White House] I wasn’t sure whether the country was ready for it."
She continued: "The Crown Act [which protects employees and students from race-based hair discrimination] hadn’t been passed yet, and just like fashion, I didn’t want my hair to become a distraction. But I understood the significance of wearing braids to our portrait unveiling. I wanted to send a message, add to the discourse of Black women in places of power, saying, 'This, too, is an appropriate and beautiful way to wear your hair.'"
