Michelle Obama Reflects on Her Fashion Journey and Legacy as First Lady

In her role as First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama juggled a multitude of responsibilities that could shift dramatically within a single day—from delivering formal speeches to meeting foreign dignitaries to gardening with schoolchildren. Throughout it all, her clothing choices needed to be both versatile and practical.

“I was concerned about, ‘Can I hug somebody in it? Will it get dirty?'” Obama revealed during a conversation Wednesday night about her style evolution. “I was the kind of first lady that there was no telling what I would do.”

As the first Black woman to serve as First Lady, Obama became one of the most closely watched women in the world, not just for her words and actions, but for her fashion choices. She recently chronicled this journey in her newest book, “The Look,” written in collaboration with her longtime stylist Meredith Koop.

The sold-out event was recorded as part of “IMO: THE LOOK,” a special companion series to the IMO podcast she hosts with her brother, Craig Robinson.

Obama emphasized how she approached fashion with accessibility in mind. “The thing about clothes that I find is that they can welcome people in or they can keep people away,” she explained. “If you’re so put together and so precious and things are so crisp and the pin is so big, it can just tell people, ‘Don’t touch me.'”

This philosophy informed even her smallest style decisions. She avoided wearing white to events with rope lines where people might want hugs. “I’m not going to push somebody away when they need something from me, and I’m not going to let the clothes get in the way of that,” she said.

Some of Obama’s most iconic fashion moments came to define key points in her public life. The white, one-shoulder chiffon gown designed by Jason Wu for Barack Obama’s first inauguration launched the then-unknown 26-year-old Taiwanese-born designer into the spotlight. This was intentional, Obama revealed.

“We were beginning to realize everything we did sent a message,” she said. “So that’s what we were trying to do with the choices we made, to change lives.” Throughout her tenure, she would continue this practice, boosting the careers of emerging designers by wearing their creations.

For the Obama administration’s final state dinner honoring Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in October 2016, the First Lady made a striking statement in a rose gold Versace gown made of chain mail. “That was a kind of a, ‘I don’t care’ dress,” she admitted of the shimmery, one-armed creation. “I put that on. I was like, ‘This is sexy.’ It’s the last one. All of my choices, ultimately, are what is beautiful — and what looks beautiful on.”

When attending Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, Obama opted for a practical maroon ensemble by Sergio Hudson. The flowing, floor-length coat was worn unbuttoned over trousers, with a statement belt featuring a large gold-toned buckle. Her choice of low-heeled boots was deliberate.

“I was really in practical mode,” Obama explained, noting that the ceremony took place just two weeks after the January 6 Capitol riot. “The sitting president was trying to convince us that Jan. 6 was just a peaceful protest. I wanted to be able to move. I wanted to be ready.” She added that she and her team “had no idea” the outfit “was going to break the internet.”

During the conversation, Obama also reflected on the East Wing, the traditional base for First Ladies that former President Donald Trump recently demolished to make room for a ballroom. She described it as a joyful place filled with “apples, children, puppies and laughter,” contrasting with the West Wing, which dealt with “horrible things.” The East Wing was where she worked on initiatives ranging from fighting childhood obesity to supporting military families and promoting girls’ education globally.

“We never thought of the White House as ‘our house,'” Obama said, explaining that she and her husband saw themselves more as caretakers. “But every president has the right to do what they want in that house, so that’s why we’ve got to be clear on who we let in.”