Michelle Obama redefined fashion in politics by wearing less known, affordable designers to major events
On August 18, Michelle Obama gave a very powerful speech closing the first night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Political analyst Van Jones also praised the former first lady by calling her speech “extraordinary” and added that she was "one of the most effective communicators" in the country “putting it all on the table”.
However, it was not just the speech of Michelle that caught the attention of the people, her necklace also received a lot of limelight. The business of the necklace designer, Chari Cuthbert, has skyrocketed since then. A Black woman, she owns a small, boutique jewelry line, called BYCHARI in Los Angeles.
During the speech, Michelle was seen wearing the necklace with the word VOTE on it as she said, “Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is."
In her speech, the 56-year-old also supported Joe Biden and added: “We’ve got to show up with the same level of passion and hope for Joe Biden. We’ve got to vote early, in-person if we can. We’ve got to request our mail-in ballots right now, tonight, and send them back immediately and follow up to make sure they’re received.” She discussed the importance of voting in the November election and her necklace did complete justice to her words.
Michelle has served America as first lady for two terms and knows how attires can send a clear message. Her sartorial efforts have always caught people’s attention and her clothing choices tend to swiftly sell out because most of them are affordable as well as accessible. Describing Michelle’s fashion choices, Eliza Brooke wrote for The Goods in 2018 after Barack Obama was no longer a president, that her “sartorial legacy was one of approachability, of championing up-and-coming American designers, which mirrored her warm demeanor. Now in the next phase of her career in the public eye, Obama seems to be doubling down.”
Just like the ‘VOTE’ necklace, the mother-of-two made another designer famous by wearing a dress by her at the DNC in 2012 while arguing passionately for her husband’s second term as president. Soon after her speech, designer Tracy Reese's phone could not stop ringing as a number of customers wanted the shimmering sleeveless sheath in rose and silvery gray.
Recalling the time, Reese said in 2016: “We didn't have inventory — we had made that dress custom.” So, on people’s requests, the label went into production. “And people waited. You know, so many people admire Mrs. Obama and they want to dress like her. We sold quite a few of those dresses."
Reportedly, Reese, an African-American woman, is one of the favorite designers of Michelle in whose clothes she was spotted nearly 20 to 30 times. The author has always promoted down-to-earth designs and lesser-known names, unlike some other first ladies who usually prefer big-name designers. She has given a platform to new designers by promoting their works at high-profile events such as inaugurations, conventions, and state dinners.
The former president’s wife displayed her broad-based fashion choices with her very first inauguration. Ditching established luxury designers like Oscar de la Renta, Michelle chose a two-piece lemongrass-hued ensemble by Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo for the day while she preferred a one-shouldered white gown by New York-based, Taiwanese-Canadian designer Jason Wu at night.
She followed that up in Barack’s second term inauguration by wearing a sleek coat and dress by American designer Thom Browne and in the night Wu again.
"Michelle Obama embraced everyone. She embraced Black designers, Asian designers, European designers. ... She was very democratic in her choice of clothes,” Andre Leon Talley, a fashion editor at Vogue magazine, said. And that does not only refer to dresses but things like cardigans from the retailer J. Crew, which common women can also afford.
“She's made an effort to wear accessible fashion. I think Jackie [Kennedy] was a great role model but she wore a lot of couture, and things that most Americans could not afford,” Reese said, adding that Michelle has sported both luxury and fairly priced fashion.