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Posts Tagged ‘michelle obama’

Wooed by Wu

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Trench coat, $54.99, by Jason Wu for Target

Step aside–the black trench is mine. Jason Wu’s capsule women’s collection is scheduled to debut at Target stores and Target.com on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5. It’s the perfect follow-up to Target’s web-crashing Missoni frenzy: Tons of positive buzz, but more manageable scope. (Pleated skirts and tie-waist shirts alone, no matter how pretty and affordable, are probably not enough to bring down target.com). At 53 pieces of women’s apparel and accessories, Wu’s Target collection is considerably smaller than Missoni for Target, which included everything from tumblers to journals.

And yet, on the heels of Target’s smash success with Missoni, which blew out of stores in hours, there is heightened anticipation for Wu. Now we know: snooze, and lose out on designer fashion–this time, for $60 or less. Wu is a hot, young designer who skyrocketed to fame when First Lady Michelle Obama wore his dress to an inaugural ball in 2009.  Last week’s New York launch party for Wu drew plenty of star power, including actresses Blake Lively, Emmy Rossum and Jaime King (all dressed in Wu for Target, of course).

It’s worth noting that Missoni hit Target on a Tuesday, as opposed to the more typical Sunday launch cycle, like for Wu. I pressed Target’s publicists to find out if pieces might trickle in early…particularly at a store like downtown Minneapolis to capitalize on weekday traffic…but the answer was a firm “it doesn’t arrive in stores until Sunday.”

Fine by me–I’ll take chips and dip for the big game to go with my new coat.

Doo-Ri for Macy’s

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
Continuing its new mission to bring designer fashion to the masses, Macy’s today announced Doo-Ri Chung as the next designer partner for the contemporary “Impulse” department. Chung, who dressed First Lady Michelle Obama for a state dinner, is known for feminine silhouettes, soft, draped fabrics and artistic touches. Her Macy’s line, priced from $39 to $159 promises to capture the same flavor. The collection will include short and maxi length dresses, sweaters and cardigans, knit and faux leather mixed skirts and blouses. Doo-Ri is scheduled to launch at Macy’s on Feb. 15.
But first, the Giambattista Valli for Impulse collection hits stores Wednesday, Oct. 26.

I want to be like Michelle Obama

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Inaugball
Michelle Obama nailed it. The dress, a white chiffon one-shoulder Jason Wu design with a ruched bodice and sparkling train, was absolutely exquisite. Love that she wore her hair down. Love that she looked so comfortable and confident dancing close with her husband in front of Beyonce and the rest of the world. Love that she pulled it off seemingly minutes after sitting out in the cold at that never-ending parade. Rock on, First Lady. This is going to be fun.

Inaugday
 Expect to see a lot of yellow at Twin Cities boutiques in the coming months. Yellow has already been declared the color of the year by the Pantone Color Institute and First Lady Michelle Obama cinched its fate Tuesday, by wearing a citron dress and jacket for Inauguration Day. Dare I confess that I didn't instantly love the ensemble? It seemed a bit awkward on first glance, but grew on me throughout the day. The color was flattering and unexpected. Love that she went with a dress rather than a suit, and the fact that it was embellished was a subtle nod to fashion without being over-the-top. Plus, the fact that it was designed by little-known Isabel Toledo had our own Joy Teiken jumping for, well, joy. She's just gotta get the first lady in a Joynoelle dress!

8762eva
Everyone wants to look like Eva Longoria Parker. Her red-hot strapless mermaid style Golden Globes gown is proving to be the most popular for Unique Vintage, which is taking pre-orders on a $238 version "inspired by" the Desperate Housewife's Reem Acra dress. The other Eva, Eva Mendes' white dress is also being copied – er, "recreated" – but it was that spectacular turquoise and diamond necklace that made the look (Mendes being in it didn't hurt), so Unique Vintage owner Katie Echeverry tells me she's on a mad hunt to find something similar at an affordable price point. Echeverry's L.A. boutique and online store is also selling Jennifer Lopez's I'll-show-my-creepy-husband-how-hot-I-am slinky gold dress. All will be available to ship in time for prom. Not that teens are the only ones wearing them, Echeverry says. She even sold some celeb look-alikes for Inaugural balls. Speaking of which, Echeverry says Michelle Obama's Inaugural ball gown will be copied and practically in production before the new first lady even takes hers off. It really doesn't matter what it looks like – Echeverry says everyone is going to want it.


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