Michelle Obama Inauguration Dress, More Election Night Fashion, More Preppy Sales

Happy Thursday to everyone!  We are more than pleased to see the weekend approaching. For some reason The Princess finds herself more than a little weary this week and the thought of relaxation is appealing.  Is it just us, or are you also feeling a bit sluggish?

We will update our recent posts on election night fashions momentarily, but first, an online site is reporting they know who is doing Michelle Obama’s inaugural gown!

According to theYBF (Young, Black and Fabulous) blog, an Atlanta designer has already been asked to create the dress.

“We’ve also learned from Atlanta Gossip that Mrs. O got a jump start on her Inauguration dress plans last week. She already tapped famed African American NY designer Cassandra Bromfield to custom make her Inauguration dress.”

We visited the Bromfeld site, and share one of the gowns featured online:

Courtesy Cassandra Bromfield

From the designer’s bio:

“Bromfield’s wedding dress and bridal designs range from African American wedding dress designs… like patchwork detail couture, an elegant silk taffeta halter dress topped with a satin faced organza duster with delicate French cuffs, to a sophisticated matte-jersey creation that gracefully drapes the body.”

Ms. Bromfield also writes a popular wedding blog.  We will await confirmation of the news on the gown’s designer and share it with you as soon as we know the information.

Now back to fashions already worn; we have a little more information on the Narciso Rodriguez dress seen below (for more photos click here) as worn by Michelle Obama election night.

PHOTO: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty

The dress has been widely criticized, near and far. Here is a snippet from one of the Obamas’ hometown newspapers, the Trib:

“Unfortunately, two key tweaks to the runway version of the dress, presumably made to take it from cocktail-sexy to first-ladylike, disrupted its intentions and architecture.

First, the lengthened bodice. Second, the cardigan that Obama layered on top.”

And that is some of the milder criticism. Ouch!

PHOTO: George Chinsee

Next, the navy suit worn by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin Tuesday evening.

PHOTO: Rick Wilking/Reuters

Amid much speculation about the suit’s designer, several blogs discovered it is an Elie Tahari creation. However, it is not available at every location carrying the Tahari line, as the navy colorway shown above is exclusive to Neiman Marcus. Below, a composite from New York magazine showing the suit in the Neiman’s catalog and Ms. Palin on Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Photos: Neiman Marcus, Getty

An individual appearing to be in the know left comments on fashion blog Trendbites in response to posts about the attire worn by Ms. Palin at the vice presidential debate:

“On behalf of my company…Tahari Arthur S. Levine (a division of Elie Tahari)… Dawn is CORRECT… the black skirt suit that Sarah Palin was wearing at the RNC VP Debate was in fact a Tahari Suit. In addition, she has also been seen wearing the same suit (which was made for Neiman Marcus as a special cut in blue) where she wore the blue jacket over the black skirt, getting more mileage for her money. Lastly, she has also worn numerous suits from our many divisions: Tahari Arthur S. Levine suits which are priced on average at 179.99 – 199.99 and which have been bought at either Macys, Lord and Taylor department stores…”

Below, a photo of Ms. Palin at the vice-presidential debate.

PHOTO: Rick Wilking/Reuters

But here is the really big mystery: who did the dresses worn by Malia and Sasha Obama?  We have received multiple inquiries here at Princess InterGalactic HQ about those darling dresses.  Below, Malia in a red bubble-hem dress with center bow at waist and a cropped cardigan, both in red.

PHOTO: Jae C. Hong/AP

Many think Malia Obama is wearing this Biscotti dress, although with a different belt than the one sold with the dress.  We show it at Nordstrom; it is available at $110. There is a matching/coordinating cropped cardigan Biscotti offers as well, but that does not look to us like the one Malia was wearing.

Here is a better shot of both girls with their father, the President-elect.

PHOTO: Jason Reed/Reuters

Now to avoid any controversy, we do want to share that we have also confirmed who the President-elect was wearing Tuesday night:

He was wearing a Hart Schaffner Marx custom suit very much like the one worn at the Democratic Convention. There are more detail and photos of that suit here, our post with “The Inside Story on the Candidate’s Suit.”  Selecting this suit was another wise choice: it looked great and the Hart Schaffner Marx manufacturing facility is in the Obamas’ home state of Illinois.  Click here to see an almost identical HSM suit.

An update on markdowns being taken by retailers everywhere, beginning with J .Crew, now offering an additional 30% off their sale merchandise.

This will also act as our Argyle Update for the day, as we show the Boys’ cotton-cashmere duke-argyle vest, now more than 50% off its original selling price, before the extra discount is added to the mix. (“Subtracted” from the mix?)

Crew is also offering their wonderful Madras cabana bag; it is also discounted by more than 50%, and this is before the additional 30% discount.

Of course regular readers know we are fiends for madras, as evidenced by our goodies at the Preppy Princess Emporium, like our lush and lovely Set Point Towels.  (Psst…hunting for a gift? The monogramming on these is included at no extra charge!)

PreppyPrincess.com Set Point Towels

PreppyPrincess.com

Neiman Marcus continues their online clearance:

Nordstrom is offering their Half Yearly Sale for Women and Kids.

And the online clearance is still ongoing at Talbots as well as their Collection Sale with merchandise like this Collection Jacket in Ivory.

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And finally, for today’s Pretty in Pink, we share one of our major obsessions here at the Prepatorium: the Globetrotter Vanity Case at Vivre, from Globetrotter’s Candy Collection.

The lining is done in an exquisite Liberty of London print. (The store on Regent Street is on TP’s list of Top 5 shopping meccas in Europe.)

If one requires a tad more room for their belongings, there is always the Trunk, also from the Candy Collection, and also exclusively at Vivre.

If anyone has info on the dresses worn by the Obama girls, please share!

Election Night Fashions from Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin and More

Hello-hello everyone! We hope everyone is enjoying the soft and sunny weather we are experiencing today!

As we are more than a little swamped here at Princess HQ, we will offer a short post looking at the Narciso Rodriguez dress worn by Michelle Obama Monday evening.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty

Clearly not a Mario Pinto creation, as discussed in last night’s post, this was shown as part of the Rodriguez Spring 2009 Collection.

PHOTO: George Chinsee

The selection of this particular dress and cardigan brought some negative fashion feedback, unusual in and of itself as Mrs. Obama has been credited throughout the campaign for her fashion-forward style.

The issue? This is not considered a “good TV dress.”

PHOTO: Joe Raedle/Getty

PHOTO: Joe Raedle/Getty

While TP is convinced this is a stunning dress in person, it was probably not Ms. Obama’s finest fashion moment.  The ombre dot motif is exquisite in design and tres figure-enhancing but it doesn’t stand up well on television and in photographs.  And yes, the broadcasting & print careers influence our thought process on this topic, no doubt about it.

However, we think the First-Lady-To-Be is entitled to wear whatever strikes her fancy, whatever makes her feel good.  And no one can say the family was not color-coordinated last evening.

PHOTO: Jim Young/Reuters

For those unfamiliar with Mr. Rodriguez, here is a look at one of his more memorable gowns, Carolyn Bissette Kennedy’s wedding dress.

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NOTE: The following portion of the blog is INCORRECT!

On the other side of the aisle, Cindy McCain chose to wear the Oscar de la Renta silk suit she wore for her appearance with First Lady Laura Bush at the Republican Convention.

PHOTO: Chris Carlson/AP

Here is the CORRECT info: Below, a photo of the dress worn by Cindy McCain at the convention on September 1st. (Okay Princess, dress vs. suit…. how difficult can this be?! Perhaps it is time for a little Prozac pick-me-up, hhhmm?)

PHOTO: Mike Segar/Reuters

Thank you to the wonderful MOMX2 for alerting us in her ever-so-kind manner that we had a boo-boo in today’s post. She is too sweet and if you haven’t been over for a visit, you must reward yourself and pop in to say ‘hello.’

Now we must start our hunt for the designer behind last night’s Cindy McCain fashion; we still think we have seen this particular suit before, which is the thought process that started us on this slippery slope in the first place. But before we can do that, we must toddle along to our Tiara repair expert. We need to bring down the size of our Tiara a tad, as our head has shrunk just a bit in the last few hours. Silly Princess.

(Editor’s Note: We are leaving in our mistake deliberately to avoid any confusion we would create by simply correcting this in the ‘comments’ section.)

Back to your regularly scheduled programing now:

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Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was in an elegant deep navy cocktail suit.

PHOTO: Mike Blake/Reuters

We must include this photo of a rather woebegone Piper Palin last night, as she has definitely been one of those little delights that always brought a smile to our face during the long campaign…

PHOTO: Rick Wilking/Reuters

…as did Malia and Sasha Obama, no doubt thrilled to know they are getting the new puppy they were promised if their father was victorious in the election.

PHOTO: Jason Reed/Reuters

For those interested in a possible Inauguration Day look for Ms. Obama, last night’s late post touched upon that and also shared Oprah Winfrey’s plans for an Inauguration Day dress.

We close with a look at how the story was played elsewhere, starting with one of the President-elect’s hometown newspapers, the Chicago Sun-Times:

Chicago Sun-Times

WaPo as TP refers to it, the Washington Post:

The Washington Post

The Times:

The New York Times

And USA Today:

USA Today

Out the door and simply *racing* to another function!

Politics and Fashion Part 5, Real Yale Students Talk Gossip Girl

The Princess has landed. Or something. We enjoyed delightful times with our houseguest and are now returned to our standard workday with a tad more time for sharing wacky and whimsical things in our goofy blog.

We must acknowledge the good folks at Refinery 29 for the heads-up on our first item, these finger puppets by artist Melanie Howard.  Available on Etsy, the Republican ticket puppets with Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin in wool felt:

Wondering just what one does with snappy items like these?

“They are finger puppets and will fit most fingers, but would do well on pencils, pipe cleaners, chopsticks. Scrapbook them, stick them on your Christmas tree, sew them on to your favorite hoodie.”

Next, the Democratic ticket of Senators Barack Obama and Joseph Biden, also in wool felt:

As described by the artist:

“Details include Obama’s charming ears and Democratic dress. Biden sports a grin that would launch a thousand smiles and fabulous swept hair. Both are lawyers, both are fit, both are pleased to be your Democratic Ticket for the White House.”

Ms. Howard also has other fun figures memorialized in this fashion, including Karl Lagerfeld and Hillary Clinton.

Some readers may recognize the unmistakable style of our next item, knowing immediately they are by Hidalgo.

Courtesy Hidalgo

The stacked rings with candidate names carry the distinctive look the company is famous for; the Obama and McCain rings are each about $1350, while the gold and diamond ring guards shown above will add another $1,100 to $1,260. If you are looking for something a little less dated, you can play it safe and go for one simply showing your fundamental belief on the issue.

Both the Elephant and Donkey are $1100, the red enamel guards shown with them run about $475.

Of course, the names of vice presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden are also available from Hidalgo. For those not familiar with the brand, one can purchase only a single, ‘basic’ ring, or may acquire several. Ring guards (as seen above in red on either side of the Donkey) are fairly essential IOHO, designed to enhance the beauty of that primary ring.

The folks over at StyleList have put together a group of Hidalgo rings they think would be ideal for Cindy McCain. These include a ring bearing John’s name, the ring with her zodiac symbol (Taurus) and one stating the obvious.

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Next on our political hit parade, one may dine on the candidate of their choice.

Many readers may have already seen these on their local news or in the paper, but we thought we would share them anyway. The “Obama O’s” come complete with “Hope in Every Bowl” while the “Cap’n McCain’s” promise “A Maverick in Every Bite.”

If those cereals are too sweet and sugary for your morning, there is one with more bite: “Killogg’s Same Old Corn, Different Flakes.”

It would seem the folks behind this creation are a bit more acerbic, but also non-partisan.  The box features leaders of both parties, adding “Now With Added Nuts.” Indeed.

Another non-partisan effort comes via Rock the Vote Red lipstick, available at Stila Cosmetics.

Part of the Rock the Vote, the voter registration effort, the lipstick is a rich red, offered at $17.

And finally today, real students at Yale weigh in with their thoughts on last week’s Gossip Girl episode, featuring a trip by the characters to New Haven as part of the school’s admissions process.  Below, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) in the fictitious New Haven.

In ‘Gossip Girl’ relies on Univ. stereotypes, an article in the Yale Daily News, actual Yalies share their thoughts on how the school and students were portrayed:

“Students interviewed said last night’s installment of Gossip Girl was especially erroneous in its portrayal of the Yale admissions process.

In the episode, three of the main characters met privately with the Yale dean of admissions, but the real admissions dean, Jeff Brenzel ’75, said such meetings could never have occurred beyond the realm of the television series.”

There were some “watch parties” on campus for the airing of the show, but few students had favorable reactions to the “New Haven Can Wait” episode:

“It didn’t bring out the Yale that we all know and love, but instead just used stereotypes about Yale,” Zimmerman said. “And all the characters were just focusing on getting in [to Yale].”

On the whole, she concluded: “It was kind of a failure.”

Anyone familiar with either Yale or Columbia immediately recognized that the show was shot at Columbia, conveniently located near other Gossip Girl shoots, with nary a foot of video from New Haven.

In reality, the Dean of Admissions does not send out exclusive invitations to ritzy early-admissions soirees. Skull and Bones does not tap pre-frosh. And under no circumstances do high school students approach Yale upperclassmen with romantic propositions.

But perhaps it’s still up for debate whether, as Serena put it, “Yale is for overachieving bookworms and preppies.”

Kristin Davis Collection, More Politics and Fashion: White House Goes Pink!

Hello and happy-happy to everyone! We can use a little happy, don’t you think?

Kristin Davis Collection at Belk

Above, Sex and the City star Kristin Davis looks very happy in a still from the promotional campaign for her new line of clothing at Belk. Below, Ms. Davis watches the first public showing of the line.

The line made its debut at the end of September; by now, all of the stores should be fully stocked, along with the website. (As an aside, Belk has overhauled the site and it is vastly improved with loads more stock!) The Charlotte newspaper has a good story on the line, with solid background and details.

“The line is a reflection of her ‘Sex and the City’ character, Charlotte Ross, as well as her Southern roots, with a prim, preppy look.”

We couldn’t locate either this specific handbag or shoe online but there are a number of Kristin Davis handbags here, as well as several pair of shoes from the collection here.

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It promises to be another wicked week on Planet Politics; this week the final Presidential Debate is held at Hofstra University on Long Island.  There continues to be lots of commentary on the styles worn by all of the candidates and their spouses, with the strongest focus remaining on Cindy McCain, Michelle Obama and Sarah Palin.

Ms. Palin’s eyeglasses continue to be one of the most-discussed topics in this forum, otherwise known as Kazuo Kawasaki frame model 704. The illustration below by Peter Arkle demonstrates why TP so loves the Times (New York); this article takes a look at those glasses, in depth.

Peter Arkle Illustration, Photos by Getty

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Has anyone read the new (and unauthorized) Michelle Obama biography simply called “Michelle: A Biography” by Washington Post Magazine writer Liza Mundy?

From Time’s review of the book today:

“Michelle is an unauthorized biography — Mundy’s experience interviewing the Obamas occurred in 2007 in the course of reporting for an article — and it’s obvious. The sympathetic, at times fawning, book relies heavily on sources several circles outward from those who actually know Michelle. The end result is a book that reveals little about Michelle Obama not already in the public domain.”

We did not realize it was released last week and have added it to the already much-too-long-list of books we want to read.  We shall never catch up. Sigh. If you are on the site and want to read an interesting piece by Curtis Sittenfeld on “What Michelle Obama Brings to the White House.” Yes, that Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Amerian Wife. (Be advised, Ms. Sittenfeld is not non-partisan and has been clear about her pro-Obama sentiments.)

Lest we become too serious about things, let us make a note about one of our more infamous Anti-Preps, Paris Hilton. Harper’s Bazaar has a rather brilliant piece with Ms. Hilton as President in the November issue, complete with the White House in a color we can all get behind:

Bazaar November 2008

When asked about the people she would appoint to her cabinet Ms. Hilton had this response:

“I won’t have a cabinet; I will have a closet. A giant walk-in closet with all styles of advisers, like Michael Kors, Kanye West, Diane von Furstenberg, Naughty by Nature, Stephen Hawking, Madonna, Karl Lagerfeld, and, of course, Tinkerbell.”

In both photos Ms. Hilton wears Kenneth Jay Lane necklaces, and the oversized brooch below is Chanel.

Harper's Bazaar November 2008

Here’s a wish that everyone enjoys a simply splendid week!

Are These the Perfect Preppy Flats? That Cindy McCain Jewelry & the Preppy Word is Everywhere!

Reuters

Because it is a Monday… and because the week ahead looks a tad treacherous… and because we are très triste about Paul Newman, we start with a pair of pink shoes to perk us up. Especially because of that dear man.

These are from Maloles and we pray everyone can see the grosgrain ribbon bows on the back. For those not familiar with the brand, the company is French, but we believe the shoes are made in Italy or Spain. This pair is available at Net-a-Porter. We think they are *very* close to being the perfect flat but for one shortcoming: the color is more salmon or coral than pink. Close. They are very, very close.

How do we feel about these for the little one? TP ranks them somewhere between “so-so” and “loathsome”. We are not however, anywhere near “deeply fond” of them for the young miss and we aren’t entirely clear why not. Perhaps it is because they look like something more appropriately worn by one of TP’s Madame Alexanders.

We have been queried of late about Cindy McCain’s jewelry, more specifically the rhinestone pins she is always seen wearing.

Justin Sullivan/Getty

We apologize for not having better photos of the pins. One spells out “USMC” and the other “Navy,” representing the two lines of the service her sons serve in.

Jim Bourg/Reuters

The pins are from one of the District’s more popular jewelers, certainly for this type of thing, Ann Hand.  Known for her patriotic jewelry, Ms. Hand’s creations have been worn by everyone from Betty Ford to Hillary Clinton.

The jeweler’s best-known piece is the Liberty Eagle brooch, seen below on the jeweler and in a close-up. The style is also offered in a plethora of other items, including earrings and cufflinks.

Ms. McCain has been seen occasionally wearing the “McCain 2008” pin created by Ms. Hand.

Outselling the McCain ’08 pin?  This candidate’s pin….

All of the candidate name pins are available at $45, quite a reasonable sum if one were to openly discuss that sort of thing. But that was before this particular item was introduced into the jeweler’s inventory:

We don’t know how popular the Biden pins are; the website shows a running tally on sales of all of these, but it seems to vary widely from the numbers shown in the windows of the physical stores. Naturally, there are many other opportunities to show your preferences.

If wearing your politics on your person isn’t your idea for proper costume jewelry, there are many other collections and media, including the Miss America line.

Ann Hand Miss America Pin

The Miss America Pave Crown pin shown above is available at $75; new items include the Glory brooch.

Ms. Hand also offers silk ties and scarves.

Ann Hand Silk Ties

Next…. that preppy word is everywhere.

istockphoto image

There are multiple recent uses of the word “preppy” we thought might interest readers. The first was in a Julie Salamon essay, Pink Shoes and Presidents:

Hillary Clinton had to justify sartorial as well as political decisions, while Barack Obama’s preppy anti-style is background, simply part of his general cool.

The piece looks at women in politics and their clothing, style, fashion, and asks: should it impact one’s vote? We found it good reading; it is on the WowoWow site. Of course, any opportunity to pop in and read everyone from Miss Manners to Liz Smith to Peggy Noonan is cause for us to toddle over!

The next reference is in a story in NY Magazine story this week, Yuppies in Eden:

“I looked up to see a young couple I myself would have characterized as “preppy” waiting to be seated. They looked as if they were visiting from the Upper East Side—all chinos and oxford cloth…. As a Williams alum, I knew all about preppies even before they’d gone mainstream with the publication of The Official Preppy Handbook in 1980. My younger brother, a Deerfield senior, was a preppy. Many of my classmates were preppies. But this yuppie thing was new to me.”

Our third reference is a term we’ve previously not seen, “Dungeon Prep,” used in reference to the runway show for Devastee, a French label. The review is brief and can be found on the Fashionista site along with photos of the Spring/Sumer 2009 collection.  We went to the line’s website; here are photos of their group for the Winter 2008/2009 group.

The name for the show was Embalming Party; regardless, we absolutely adore some of the pieces!

The fourth and final reference we mention today is not so whimsical. Not at all.  It is from Adam Bernstein’s obituary of Mr. Newman in the Washington Post.

“Brooding and sinewy, with luminous blue eyes and a husky voice, Newman resembled a preppy Greek God in his earliest screen roles.”

If he were to read this description, no doubt Mr. Newman would dismiss it out of hand as “nonsense” only he would use a more apt term we think.  “Resembled a what?! Oh horse—-!” He would far prefer a remembrance honoring the Hole in the Wall Camps. As noted on the Newman’s Own page:

Our company motto, “Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good,” was Paul’s vision for Newman’s Own and it is a philosophy we are proud to continue.

Reuters/Warner Bros.