HOLIDAY TRIMMING: Unwavering as she is about supporting an array of American designers and labels, First Lady Michelle Obama appears to harbor her own design talent. For some recent holiday entertaining, FLOTUS added her own finishing touches to the customized silk faille fit-and-flare Talbots dress she wore. She added a thin, black ribbon around the waist and a touch of crinoline as an underlay. The red-and-black blurred floral-print frock was made for the First Lady with White House Yuletide hostessing in mind, according to Talbots execs.
The design team drew from a polyester metallic version of the dress, but removed the cap sleeves for a look that accentuated her well-toned arms. As of Monday, the First Lady’s fashion followers could copy her style by going with the more affordable fit-and-flare floral dress in black and white. But, as is often the case with mid-December holiday shopping, procrastination pays off — the dress now retails for $94.12 instead of its full price of $189.