US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha(2nd-R) and Malia arrive at St. John's Church on January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC, hours before Obama participates in a ceremonial swearing in for a second term in office. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Maria
Puente, USA TODAY
First lady Michelle Obama's Inauguration Day outfit is an all-American,
high-low, coat-and-dress mix, but it's so cold in Washington you couldn't see
the dress under the coat.
Or at least not until the swearing-in was over and she took off the coat for
the inaugural lunch with Congress.
The first glimpse of her outfit and those of her daughters, Malia, 14, and
Sasha, 11, came earlier today at an Inauguration Day church service. For the
swearing-in she added a belt to the outside of her coat and changed into
midnight blue suede-and-leather knee-high boots.
The White House said the first lady was wearing a navy Thom Browne coat and
dress in a reflective fabric and a pattern based on the style of a men's silk
tie. Under the coat, she wore a royal blue bolero-style cardigan by Reed
Krakoff, over the Browne dress, which appeared to be pale blue or grey, with an
A-line panel-pleat skirt.
She had on a sparkly belt from J. Crew over the coat, and earlier she had on
pale blue kitten-heeled shoes by J. Crew. Her boots were also Reed Krakoff, and
her wine-colored gloves were J. Crew. Her jewelry was by Cathy Waterman.
It was not only an all-American outfit for today's all-American public
ceremony, it was a familiar Michelle Obama style strategy in that it mixed
high-end (Krakoff) with mall-shop affordable (J. Crew) and proved memorable.
The first lady also chose a navy Krakoff dress Sunday for the official
swearing-in in the Blue Room of the White House. But today's outdoor ceremonies
at the Capitol, when the temperature was expected to reach only the low 40s,
demanded a coat.
Malia and Sasha were both clad in coats in shades of purple, violet and plum
with complementary tights, gloves and flats.
The White House said Malia was in a J.Crew ensemble, featuring a plum-colored
"Lady" coat with a fur-like collar, over a blue "Teddy" dress, according to
J.Crew. Sasha was in a Kate Spade New York "Patrice" coat and "Carolyn" dress,
the designer's New York office said. Photographers caught a glimpse of Sasha's
purple-and-violet striped dress as she exited St. John's Church earlier
today.
USA TODAY