Raving Beauty

First Lady Style: Pencil Skirts from J.Crew, TARA Pearls

by Janet Flora

When Michelle Obama wore a J. Crew pencil skirt on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," it sold out. The fashion world buzzed about Mrs. Obama's Narciso Rodriguez dress, which she wore on election night. Is it the power of celebrity, or is it the fascination with the new First Family, and particularly this First Lady?

I posed this question and some others, to New York-based-celebrity stylist, Lauren Rae Levy. Levy has dressed celebs such as Tyra Banks, Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sarah Jessica Parker. She has appeared on TV shows like, "Extra!," "Chic TV" and "Tyra Banks." Levy is also spokesperson for Tara Pearls. While Levy adores pearls and would love to see Mrs. Obama wear them with almost everything, these are not the pearls or the look of another former First Lady Barbara Bush, but instead a hip modern twist on a classic accessory.

JF: When Michelle Obama wore that J.Crew skirt on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" the skirt sold out almost immediately. Can you talk a bit about the psychology of that?

LRV: At the time of Michelle's "Tonight Show" appearance, there seemed to be quite the commotion about Sarah Palin's $150K wardrobe. I think America found it refreshing that a role model such as Michelle could put together a sophisticated and affordable look, and the fact that she admittedly did this from her home on J. Crew.com helped people to relate to her - as not just a businesswoman and political figure, but perhaps also as a "cosmopolitan chic mom."

JF: What style does Michelle Obama have now, how would you describe that?

LRV: Fashion Style Now? When you look at some of those gorgeous pictures of her and Barack when they were young, you can tell her sense of fashion was not made on the campaign trail. Michelle Obama has a fashionable, modern sense of style with a touch of comfort that all women, young and old, can look up to. Michelle can dress up her everyday chic ensemble with a gorgeous set of pearls and voila! She achieves that timeless look effortlessly.

JF: Is there anything about her or what she seems to wear that seems to be a "signature?" If so, what is it/if not what could it be?

LRV: Her comfort/homelike touch to everything she wears, whether it be flat shoes, or a cardigan such as the one we saw over the Narciso Rodriguez dress on election night - that soothing touch is always seen on our new First Lady. The "modern fashionista meets every day mom look" could be tied together simply with a strand of TARA pearls, perhaps a multi-strand to keep with the fashion-forward look.

JF: She is probably one of the tallest first ladies. How can/should she use that to add to her style?

LRV: Being a tall woman, Michelle can get away with wearing bigger pieces and pull them off in a classy manner. The Museum Collection by TARA has some fabulous conversation pieces that this taller First Lady can wear to add a fashionable flavor to some of her more classic looks. TARA's longer strands would accentuate Michelle's height, including long lariats in fun, pastel colors or multi- strand pieces in golden hues.

JF: Since this column is Raving Beauty, many of our readers will be interested in what you think of Mrs. Obama's hair and make-up?

LRV: When it comes to makeup Mrs. O is Mrs. O-Natural! It is invigorating to see a natural look in the White House, and not just natural but stunningly so. As far as hair goes, Mrs. O sticks to the basic looks and it is working for her!

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