Oscar de la Renta on Michelle Obama's Style: "You don't go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater."
In a recent WWD article, Oscar de la Renta dissed Michelle Obama's style. He was not a fan of her meet-the-queen outfit, which consisted of a sweater over an Isabel Toledo silk crepe dress. "You don't go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater," he said--but his gripe seems to go even deeper than knit wear.
In the article, he explains, "American fashion right now is struggling. I think I understand what [Obama and her advisers] are doing, but I don't think that is the right message at this particular point... I don't object to the fact that Mrs. Obama is wearing J.Crew to whatever because the diversity of America is what makes this country great. But there are a lot of great designers out there. I think it's wrong to go in one direction only."
Let me have a moment to process my thoughts...
Yes, there are a lot of great American designers out there. And yes, Mrs. O really does wear a lot of J.Crew. And, yes, she has worn Thakoon, Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu--non-American designers... (Wait, isn't Oscar de la Renta Dominican?)
But, at the end of the day, it's still her choice, isn't it? She wears what she wants. Clothes, after all, are about self-expression. Women all over the globe make fashion choices day in and day out without force. With all do respect, Oscar de la Renta (and other designers who might agree with you), Mrs. O has but one body to dress and only so many days to wear clothes. Sit tight--maybe she'll get to you when she's making her rounds.
Tommy Hilfiger, on the other hand, applauds Michelle's fashion sense. He likes that she's not just focusing on high end, and wearing young designers who are not necessarily American. This "puts her in touch with real people," he says. I agree.
--Ysolt
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Well, we're looking at different cultural views on clothing here. Europeans tend to be more formal compared to Americans - if you're an official of some kind, you don't wear what you want during your working hours. The dress code for Buckingham Palace is different than it may be in the White House.
I'm just glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't think Michelle's style is all that. But I guess anything that distracts from the mess her husband's making of America and his traitorous speeches he's making over in Europe right now is welcomed.
I will wholeheartedly agree with you. I expect more from my first lady and she hasn't fit the bill. Amen Jami!
As a growing jewelry designer trying to keep my business afloat, I found Mr. de la Renta"s comments ridiculous. Just because he and select few others have a platform to speak from because they have the dollars required to advertise in big name publications does not give them the right to speak on anyone"s behalf but their own. The audacity for Mr. de la Renta to speak on my behalf or that of my peers as it relates to our First Lady"s fashion sense and what she should wear when meeting the Queen of England is galling.
Mr. de la Renta claims that it is "wrong to go in one direction", but I am confident that we would not have heard him make that sort of comment if the direction in which she was going was his collection. Even if she had gone in the direction of other big name designers, we likely would not have heard anything from him as he would have had the wrath of such designers splashed over the pages of every fashion magazine for making such a ludicrous comment!
The First Lady"s choice of "small name designers" and the economic impact of others buying smaller designer lines is a breath of fresh air. I would think her choice of selecting one of them would give as great a "boost to the economy" as supporting "big name designers". Thank you, Michele Obama, and good for you for recognizing the rest of us!
Josef Arzili, Azaara.Com
As a growing jewelry designer trying to keep my business afloat, I found Mr. de la Renta"s comments ridiculous. Just because he and select few others have a platform to speak from because they have the dollars required to advertise in big name publications does not give them the right to speak on anyone"s behalf but their own. The audacity for Mr. de la Renta to speak on my behalf or that of my peers as it relates to our First Lady"s fashion sense and what she should wear when meeting the Queen of England is galling.
Mr. de la Renta claims that it is "wrong to go in one direction", but I am confident that we would not have heard him make that sort of comment if the direction in which she was going was his collection. Even if she had gone in the direction of other big name designers, we likely would not have heard anything from him as he would have had the wrath of such designers splashed over the pages of every fashion magazine for making such a ludicrous comment!
The First Lady"s choice of "small name designers" and the economic impact of others buying smaller designer lines is a breath of fresh air. I would think her choice of selecting one of them would give as great a "boost to the economy" as supporting "big name designers". Thank you, Michele Obama, and good for you for recognizing the rest of us!
Josef Arzili, Azaara.Com
Thank you, Oscar de la Renta. I agree with you.
this reminds me of a scene in "valentino: the last emperor" in which mr. garavani declares an evening dress that leaves the model's ankles exposed as "the most hideous thing [he's] ever seen." these guys are just old-school. they've designed a certain way, for a certain woman, their entire lives, and they're extremely stubborn.
i do think oscar de la renta is probably very hurt that ms. obama doesn't wear his clothes -- after all, he (along with the likes of valentino and carolina herrera) have been standard first lady fare for decades. ms. obama's patronage of young designers like thakoon, jason wu and isabel toledo (who, i should mention, are all american designers: despite their place of birth, they live, have operations based in, and show their collections in america (as does mr. de la renta)). with that said, i do think his statements are legit and not solely founded on feelings of neglect. i mean, for pete's sake, it's the queen! we've all seen ms. obama in gowns, so to see her look this casual (even if it is actually azzedine alaia) seems to be a slight -- though i'm sure unintentional -- sign of disrespect.
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