If You Want to See Michelle O's Inauguration Day Dress,

IT WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM AT FIT.

The White House is loaning the dress and coat designed by Isabel Toledo for the exhibition of the Designer's work and will be on public view for the first time.

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) will display the ensemble designed by Isabel Toledo and worn by First Lady Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day in its upcoming mid-career retrospective of the designer's work. This will be the first time that the sheath dress and matching coat are on public view. Isabel Toledo: Fashion from the Inside Out opens on June 17 and runs through September 26, 2009. The exhibition will also include approximately 70 iconic looks by Isabel Toledo from the mid-1980s to the present, along with mannequins and drawings by her husband, artist Ruben Toledo, with whom she closely collaborates.

Ruben and Isabel Toledo

Photos courtesy of huffingtonpost.com

The Museum at FIT is the only museum in New York City dedicated solely to the art of fashion. It has a collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. It is located on the southwest corner of Seventh Avenue at 27th Street. Exhibition hours are Tuesday through Friday, noon to 8 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5pm, closed Sundays, Mondays, and legal holidays. Admission is free. Visit www.fitnyc.edu/museum.

Hot off the press, courtesy of Loretta Lawrence Keane, VP for Advancement and External Relations and Cheri Fein, Executive Director of Public and Media Relations, both of FIT.

I certainly will be visiting this exhibition.

U r 24K!

xoxo,
Krom

Michelle should only Shop at J. Crew

Looking at these pictures of Michelle in London, you would never know that she is wearing very expensive designers such as Isabel Toledo and Alaia, among others. These outfits come across as impersonal as outfits purchased from Ann Taylor or Banana Republic.

I think Donna Karan sums it up best with, "I hope and believe that this is just a moment...And I hope to be able to dress her, and not only dress her but address her, sit down -- I'm interested in her totality as a woman."

I think this is the reason Michelle isn't able to make the most of the clothes of these incredible designers; they have never met her so the designs seem void of that certain something that could be captured if they had the chance to get to know her and see her move firsthand.

I don't know why Michelle thinks her best friends are pearls and the cardigan. Neither serve her well.






Without the pearls and cardigan, Michelle looks much less encumbered and more of the moment.


Even her shoe choice is very generic.


Carla looks much more like she lives in the 21st century as opposed to Michelle who looks like she is trying to live in Camelot.

Photos courtesy of huffingtonpost.com

Here's to Michelle having an interest in meeting the designers that are to create her clothes!

U r 24K!

xoxo,
Krom

Fashion and the First Lady, Michelle Obama

I wasn't going to write about Michelle's inauguration wardrobe because I thought the clothes should speak for themselves, especially since they were created by such gifted designers with a strong point of view. It's so easy to criticize from the sofa, so to speak, but I feel pressure to do so since this is such a historic occasion. There is one other caveat to my recommendations; I can only judge these outfits from photographs and TV appearances which may be different from up close and personal viewing. I have discovered that, by nature, I am a tweaker; taking inspiration from what's before my eyes, I often see an incompleteness and visually want more from the subject matter at hand.

Love the J. Crew outfit from this view.

Michelle, at the Kids' Inaugural Concert

Upon closer inspection, skirt - great, shoes - great (she was wearing the same green Jimmy Choos or J. Crews she wore to the Inaugural Ceremony; I'm not sure of the brand due to conflicting reports), belt - got to go!

Photos courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

The belt still has got to go! Very unflattering (makes Michelle look heavier than she is).

Michelle, Volunteering at Operation Gratitude

Photo courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

Michelle, now you're talking. The coat is great, and the purple gloves therewith - uber superfab!

Michelle, Boarding the Whistle Stop Train Tour

Photo courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

While Narciso Rodriguez is an excellent designer, I thought Michelle could have handled and used more color in the blouse department. The skirt, coat, and shoes - totally working!

The Obamas at the We Are One, Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial

Photo courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

Here are some blouses I would have liked to have seen with the Narciso Rodriguez:

or.
Runway photos courtesy of style.com

The necklace from the first look could have added much needed color to the black and camel ensemble or a blouse made of the fabric from the black, white and yellow dress could have been very flattering.


I heart Isabel Toledo as you are well aware; however, this outfit was a little QEII for me. I would have put a printed dress or a dress of a contrasting color underneath this regal coat. The shoes and gloves together are a bit of a clash. Pick one green accessory and then move on to another color.

Michelle, on the Day of the Inaugural Ceremony

Photos courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

The dress below with colorful details or a dress made from the jacket's luxurious purple fabric could have added some zip to the golden ensemble.


Loved the silhouette and texture of the Jason Wu dress, but it's a bit bridal for me because of the color. Any of these colors would have worked better although I think Jason Wu is a very talented designer.

The Obamas at an Inaugural Ball

Photo courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

This picture doesn't do Michelle or this Tracy Feith dress justice. I thought Michelle looked radiant from head to toe; she gets Krom's stamp of approval on this one! IMPORTANT NOTE: Tracy Feith will be a guest designer at Target beginning May 17th. I can't wait!

The Obamas at the National Prayer Service

Photo courtesy of HuffingtonPost.com

Here's to many more Michelle sightings!

U r 24K!

xoxo,
Krom

I Heart Isabel and Ruben Toledo (Part III)

As my sista and I were leaving the penthouse, Ruben asked us if we had seen Isabel's studio downstairs; since we had not, we HAD to check it out! Even going from the penthouse to the studio was easy on the eyes. It's like visiting a museum.

As we approached the door to the studio, these mannequins and lions welcomed us.

She was ready for her close-up.

Isabel's studio is divided into 3 spaces: her office, her sewing room and a hallway connecting the two.

This is her office. Everything about it is beautiful, and artfully arranged. Although with Isabel and Ruben, you get the sense that it all occurs naturally and unintentionally and wherever and whenever they happen to lay something down it becomes part of a magical composition.

Behind the Desks



A Newspaper Clipping about the Isabel Toledo Ensemble Worn by Michelle Obama and Isabel and Ruben at the Met's Costume Institute Gala

I had written a post about Michelle Obama's style or lack thereof, Is Michelle Obama Stylish?, but Isabel Toledo + Tom Binns = Total Superfabulousness. I've never seen Michelle look better!

More Brilliantly Arranged Stuff behind the Desks



This mirror hung high on the wall looks majestic; upon closer inspection, you can see the common materials used in its construction.

Even the dress form looks like a work of art.

This dress stands guard in front of Isabel's office. I love this dress in all its seeming simplicity.

The details at the neck are exquisite.

In the hallway, there were racks of magnificent dresses. I wanted to try every single one of them on.

Her sewing machine is a thing of beauty, at least to my eyes. And to think, this simple machine is capable of making such a glorious collection. Of course, Isabel's ingenuity is the driving force behind the machine's accomplishments.

The fabric of and the details on this dress caught my eye.

I'm a huge fan of trompe l'oeil! The fabric is so rich looking.

This mannequin decorated by Ruben would look great in the dress above.

Come to think of it, this mannequin would look great in anything or nothing!

I hope you enjoyed the Studio tour!

U r 24K!

xoxo,
Krom

I Heart Isabel and Ruben Toledo (Part II)

Now that you know your way around the penthouse (from Part I), it's time to meet some of the superfabulous celebrants.

Nichelle (who has an excellent blog of her own, 55 Secret Street) shared some cocktails and secrets from the blogging world with my sista and me.

Patrick McDonald is chatting up Carmen Dell 'Orefice. Doesn't her blouse look excellent against the backdrop of the wall mural?


As my sista and I were snooping around the apartment, we came across this doll. I thought it was a doll modeled after the great Isabel Toledo. My sista thought that Ruben saw the doll and bought it because it looked just like Isabel and was named Izzy. We had to find the honoree immediately to congratulate her, of course, and to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Well, I'll put it to you this way, my sista hit the nail on the head. You can learn a lot from your little sista. Isabel and my sista posing for the camera.


My sista and I were just hanging out, and who walked by, but none other than Matthew Modine. My sista thought he looked familiar, and I told her he was probably someone she knew from boarding school. Afterall, most celebs look like someone you went to high school or college with before you realize who they are. Matthew thought my sista looked familiar so they started chatting. I asked Matthew if I could get a picture of him with my sista, and Patrick McMullan (celeb photographer extraordinaire) took my camera and offered to get the three of us. Bonus for me!


Two stylin' guests enjoying the evening. The girl on the left is wearing 3.1 Phillip Lim and a Chanel bag, and the girl on the right is wearing Kloset, a new designer label from Thailand.


I'm a huge fan of the union jack so I had to get this picture of the Baroness who by the way is a very genteel lady.


Lastly, I leave you with Ruben Toledo, a very gracious host, and as usual Isabel is on his mind (note: painting above his right shoulder).


Because the remaining guests are so famous, I leave you with a list: Simon Doonan of Barney's, Linda Fargo of Bergdorf's, Kate Hudson, Maria Cornejo, Cecilia Dean of Visionaire, Iris Apfel (there was an exhibit of her clothes at the Met), Pamela Fiori of Town & Country, Marjorie Gubelmann Raein, Gillian Miniter, Narciso Rodriguez, Cynthia Rowley, Stan Herman, Vera Wang, Gabi, Ange and Adi of ThreeAsFour, Bill Cunningham of the New York Times, Mickey Boardman of Paper, Teri Agins of the Wall Street Journal, Yigal Azrouel, Michael Vollbracht and Cathy Hardwick.

Next week I will show you Isabel's studio. Have a great weekend!

U r 24K!

xoxo,
Krom