There is no doubt that the current First Lady of the United States knows what she is looking for when it comes to formal fashion, love it or hate it Michelle Obama’s sense of style is always present at important state functions. However the first Lady’s most judged, and therefore most controversial outfit came all the way back in ’08 when her husband took the Presidential election and the then soon to be First Lady took to the stage in a red and black Narciso Rodriguez sheath that, in the designer’s own words “was unapologetically black and red.”
Since then Mrs. Obama has gone to Mr. Rodriguez’s collections time and again from everything to a fourth of July celebration to meeting with the Prime Minister of England. Last night Narciso Rodriguez debuted his Spring 2012 collection amidst a New York Fashion week that has been all about designers cutting loose and while Mr. Rodriguez’s version of creative liberation is wonderfully executed, it leaves some to wonder if he has gone too far over the top for Mrs. Obama to follow.
Rodriguez has long been known as a minimalist designer who, with the exception of the occasional bold sheath, is a master in the art of subtlety and while there was a definite minimalist feel to last night’s runway, the overall effect was anything but subtle. Color blocking, wavy prints and overlays of sheer and opaque fabrics created bold eye-catching asymmetry that worked wonders on the runway but might not go over so well at the white house. While there were more then a few frocks that the First Lady could easily pull off, especially with those toned arms, whether this bold collection by Mr. Rodriguez is truly in her tastes is something only time will tell.
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