Thanks to Meg Massie from the LUXIST for this post on the new bling for the President Elect’s First Lady.   Nothing says THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH 2 YEARS WORTH OF PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNING LIKE DIAMONDS AND RARE METALS!

Stay tuned for future posts on Mrs. Obama’s inauguration gown. A list of designers, including Diane von Furstenberg have reportedly been asked to do sketches. The fashion blogs have also reported that New York designer Cassandra Bromfield and Michelle Fields of Michelle New York are also in the running.

Now for the good stuff…

Michelle Obama to receive $30,000 thank you from the President-Elect

Posted Dec 1st 2008 3:01PM by Meg Massie

“She loves her inexpensive outfits from the mall, but Michelle Obama will soon be sporting something much fancier than anything you’ll find at J. Crew.

A spokesman for top Italian designer Giovanni Bosco has confirmed that President-Elect Barack Obama is looking to purchase a $30,000 Harmony ring made of rhodium and encrusted with diamonds as a thank you gift to his wife Michelle.

We expect the future First Lady to receive the ring in time for her husband’s January inauguration ceremony. The gift is a thank you for her support throughout the last two years of campaigning.

One of the world’s rarest and most precious metals, only about 25 tons of rhodium are mined each year, setting the price at over $7,660 per ounce — or about ten times the cost of gold. The ring may be uncharacteristically extravagant for Mrs. Obama, but we’re sure she’ll find a way to wear it with all her usual grace and confidence.”

Technorati Tags: Giovanni Bosco, Harmony Ring, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama jewelry, Obama gift to wife

Tags: Giovanni Bosco, Harmony Ring, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama jewelry, Obama gift to wife

Everyone seems to have an opinion of the dress, love it or hate it.

Michelle Obama, whose style has been described as sophisticated yet down to earth and sassy, caused a stir when she appeared onstage on the election night Chicago rally.

Mrs. Obama chose a black cardigan over a scoop-neck black sheath with splashes of red in the upper and lower half separated by a crisscross sash at the hips that comes straight off the spring 2009 runway collection of Narciso Rodriguez, one of the most critically acclaimed of New York Fashion Week. (Just a note: Rodriguez is the designer of the wedding dress that Carolyn Bessette wore when she got married to JFK, Jr. in the mid-90s.)

Photo Courtesy of AP

Reportedly a few tweaks were made to it to turn it from a sexy cocktail dress to a “First Lady” type dress. Reportedly the bodice was lengthened and Mrs. Obama layered that black cardigan on top. Also it appears that the sheer, short hemline seen on the runway was altered for the Obama version. Julie Gilhart, fashion director of New York’s Barneys clothing store, told the NYTimes,

“That dress was unpretentious, it said, Be who you are - don’t let someone else tell you how to be.”’

Her style seems to have gained notice internationally.

The UK Times Online describes Michelle Obama as a ‘new type of First Lady’, a woman who isn’t afraid to break conventional rules but steps boldly into the spotlight with confidence, a down-to-earth demeanor and a fearless fashion sense that makes her stand apart in many ways from former President’s wives.

The Italian Daily La Stampa dubbed the dress “the look of victory and said that the black symbolized mourning for the President-elects’ grandmother, who died on the eve of the election, while the red was for passion.”

Carola Long of the Independent in London said Michelle Obama’s fashion sense was a far cry from the traditional first lady look “reminiscent of the uptight Bree from Desperate Housewives”.

Michelle Obama’s fashion sense, which spans from Narciso Rodriguez & Maria Pinto to White House/Black Market and J. Crew, should be good for the fashion economy.

Pinto says that due to Obama’s public appearances in her designs her retail orders are up 45%!

She can be extremely casual or very glamourous as shown on the campaign trail.

Obama’s visit to The View had her in a Donna Ricco sleeveless $148.00 off-the-rack tank dress from White House/Black Market that flew off the racks and sold out in many locations.

The NY Times said “At the least, it promises four lively years of fashion-watching at the White House,” said the New York Times. I agree.

Technorati Tags: celebrity fashion, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama election night dress, Michelle Obama fashion

Tags: celebrity fashion, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama election night dress, Michelle Obama fashion