Comments on: The First Lady Says Goodbye to Italy & Arrives in Ghana

By: Aminah Hanan

Aminah Hanan — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:36:22 +0000

@DEE Thanks, finding beautiful pictures of the First Lady is easy. She is always so very fabulous.

By: Delphina Baidoo

Delphina Baidoo — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:29:07 +0000

Hello First Lady,

i want to let you know you’re great role model to all us, i am from Ghana- West Africa, the place that you and your whole entire family. you inspire me, because i was raised by late grandparents in Ghana. and tell you doing a great and wonderful things as First Lady.

By: Hazel

Hazel — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:35:45 +0000

Indeed I think it is much ado about nothing. The Obamas are just lovely, they are black and that’s a worrying thought for some. Just be fair and take your mind back to other Presidents’ wives. Was all this scrutiny done? If she were frumpy then that would please a lot of critics who would say ‘ see she (they’re) is not suitable for the White House. Well it was built by the blood and sweat of slaves so all are entitled…

By: Dee

Dee — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:45:36 +0000

Oh, Aminah, I’ve been meaning to say thank you for pulling together all of the beautiful photographs.

I especially like the one of Michelle seated alongside First Lady Clio Napolitano…it looks as if she suddenly turned her head to face the camera, and they’ve caught her hair in motion. Lovely!

By: Dee

Dee — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:40:27 +0000

Lili, I note your comment that Ms. Sher described the Lanvin trainers as a “glitch”which also suggests to me a recognition that such expensive purchases are not habitual as much as anything else….

I still don’t have any problem with the First Lady purchasing $540 trainers, or $59 trainers.

Recalling a time when I wasn’t working, and was short on funds, my thoughts were that for a period of time there were certain things that were financially going to be well beyond my reach, and I simply adjusted my spending habits, accordingly. It didn’t occur to me for a second that just because I could no longer afford to buy certain things that those that could, shouldn’t. This line of thinking is one that I really don’t understand, too well….

By: Lili

Lili — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:28:56 +0000

This morning’s Chicago Tribune includes a long article on Mrs. Obama’s Chief of Staff, Susan Sher. Ms. Sher herself described the $540 Lanvin sneakers as a “glitch.”

As someone who lives in Hyde Park, Chicago, and whose husband shared an employer with Mrs. Obama (and Ms. Sher and the President himself), I really have to suggest that dismissing overly-costly clothes right now isn’t a good idea. If Ms. Sher recognizes that the Lanvin sneakers were a bad choice, then perhaps the rest of us should pay attention.

By: Lili

Lili — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:40:13 +0000

Alas, though I am a regular J. Crew customer, and I mix my J. Crew “downmarket” clothes with much higher-end items (I recently bought a Roberto Rodriguez jacket for $700 and spent almost $1,000 on J. Crew clothes — shorts, t-shirts, a metallic skirt, cashmere cardigan — last spring), many Americans regard J. Crew to be extremely expensive. I was a bit shocked when I mentioned to someone that I’d bought a simple, merino-wool turtleneck sweater at J. Crew for $78 — cheap, in my view — and was told in no uncertain terms that the average American couldn’t think about spending $78 on a sweater. The lady told me that $80 was what she spent on her weekly grocery bill for herself and her two children.

Perhaps we need to consider that.

By: msladydeborah

msladydeborah — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:09:37 +0000

I have lived through at least 8 different families occupying the White House. This time around the media coverage and scrutiny is just amazing to me.

I personally do not give a damn about how much money Michelle spends on her clothes. In reality, we know that there are sistas with far less economic means rocking fashions that break their budgets. And many of them do not have a high public profile.

Maybe it’s just me-but I dislike fashion watching anyway. It always seems to bring out the worst in women.

By: Dee

Dee — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:05:42 +0000

Pat, like you I’ve noted that the First Lady is “mixing her wardrobe” with upmarket, higher cost clothing and more “down to earth” selections.

Moving on, as for the trainers, I’m sure I read somewhere that The First Lady has also purchased and worn a $59 pair of trainers, so given that she has those and the $500 ones, she’ll probably ensure she gets her money’s worth on both pairs, and the cost-per-wear will work out to be reasonable enough.

By: Lili

Lili — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:29:33 +0000

RealtyChic, First Ladies are not given clothes and jewelry for free; they are not legally permitted to accept such gifts — at least not without declaring them on tax returns. That’s why Nancy Reagan got into trouble.

Don’t mistake me: it is certainly true that Mrs. Obama pays for her own clothes and therefore can buy and wear what she pleases. I’ve very much enjoyed observing her wardrobe choices over the last several months. I am simply suggesting that such choices as $500 sneakers are perhaps not such a good idea in the current economic climate. However, there’s plenty of room for debate on that subject.