American women have often needed an iconic female to look toward for inspiration and guidance in fashion. In the 1960’s it was the young, beautiful and elegant First Lady Jackie Kennedy. She gave new life to the fashion scene with her pill box hats, smart suits, large sunglasses and chic casual ensembles she came to embody the classic American style. Women are now turning to a new woman to lead them into the fashion battle and she too is a young new first lady married to a forward thinking president. This woman is Michelle Obama.

    The First Ladies path towards icon status began during the long campaign season where she supported American talent and mixed bargain designs with high end pieces. When on The View in June of 2008, Mrs. Obama wore a White House/Black Market black and white print dress that sold out almost immediately. Mrs. Obama also visited The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; there she wore her omnipresent favorite brand J. Crew. The J. Crew cardigan and skirt worn on the talk show sold out as quickly as her White House/Black Market dress. When the First Lady attended the three-day long Democratic National Convention she brought a full arsenal of fashionable pieces. To begin the DNC “Mrs. O” wore a teal v-neck dress by a favored Chicago designer Maria Pinto, who was able to open her own boutique after the First Lady wore her designers. On the second day Mrs. Obama gave Peter Soronen the fashion bump and wore the designers Rose Brocade cocktail dress in lime. For the finale of the DNC she supported up and coming designer Thakoon, who in December had a very successful capsule collection at target, wearing a red patterned dress.

    The day that ended the 2008 campaign for good was the most memorable and talked about outfit Mrs. Obama had worn yet. On Election Night the First-Lady-to-be wore a Narciso Rodriguez red and black dress inspired by his Spring ‘09 collection with a black cardigan. This dress instigated fashion debates all over the country. Those who supported the outfit appreciated Mrs. O’s decision to take a risk with the dress. They also understood that Michelle Obama was hoping to match both her daughters’ dresses; Sashas’ was black and Malias’ the other red. Fashion critics and bloggers alike who were not fond of the Narciso Rodriguez ensemble were not against the dress but instead the cardigan paired with it. Those against the outfit felt the cardigan threw off the proportions of an otherwise lovely dress, suitable for a night that would go down in history.

    During her first few months as First Lady, Michelle Obama has made fashion waves that previous First Ladies were not able to make throughout there entire tenure. On Inauguration Day she wore an Isabel Toledo ensemble and at that nights balls she wore a Jason Wu gown. Both of these choices catapulted the designers into immediate fashion-darling status. Mrs. Obama then created controversy by “baring arms” at events, on the cover of American Vogue and in her official White House portrait when she wore a black sleeveless Michael Kors. When the First Couples’ trip abroad was announced media outlets and fashionistas alike were atwitter with excitement over an upcoming “fashion battle” between our first lady and fashion heavy-weight Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the French First Lady. When the two first met they were both wearing jackets accented with bows, our first lady wore a custom made Thakoon floral silk jacquard coat and reverse print dress. At a meeting at the NATO summit both first ladies decided to wear little black dresses, Mrs. Obama’s was by the French legend Azzedine Alaia. In a historic meeting with Britain’s old mum Queen Elizabeth she chose to wear an ivory and black crepe dress by Isabel Toledo and an opera coat by Jason Wu. Although Europe is a hard place for any American to win over, the continent has fallen in love with our First Lady as many of us have. The Telegraph a well known British media source said of Mrs. Obama, “Our very modern First Lady is a fallible fashionista. She makes mistakes, just like the rest of us. And that makes us love her all the more. Roll on Strasbourg, Prague and Ankara and the next leg of the Mrs. O fashion parade.”

    Because of Michelle Obama’s choice to show that to look put-together one doesn’t need to spend an exorbitant amount of money she has become a fashion icon for a new generation. Her decision to support up and coming designers like Jason Wu is spotlighting talent that would otherwise go unnoticed. Young women have come to appreciate our new first lady for her willingness to look powerful, womanly, and intelligent all at the same time- something we haven’t been shown in a long time.