Dear Gossips,
The undisputed star of primetime last night was former First Lady, Michelle Obama, who delivered what many consider to be one of the best convention speeches of all time at the DNC in Chicago. I watched it live and then I couldn’t sleep because I kept replaying the best parts, especially that part.
Mrs Obama’s book, Becoming, has sold over 14 million copies worldwide so by now, most people should be familiar with how Michelle moves – always with intention, always thoughtful, about everything, including visual presentation, and the choices she makes with her style.
She came out last night serving a look! And the look had so much meaning, starting with the arms and the hair, two features that were so controversial (not by her doing) during her time as First Lady and which she has talked about in the time since: how she had to pragmatically avoid certain hairstyles, specifically Black hairstyles; and now here she is, once again on stage at the Democratic National Convention, endorsing the person who could be the first female Black and South Asian president of the United States, with her hair in a braided ponytail. That’s not an accident.
And then there’s the suit. My GOD this suit. The suit is Monse, and as fashion historian Shelby Ivey Christie said on Twitter, this “reimagining of a men’s suit” is a perfect statement for the occasion as Michelle supports Kamala Harris’s bid to reimagine a job that’s always been held by a man.
Of course Mrs Obama put the most care into her words last night as she encouraged Americans to “do something” not just in this election but for their neighbours, for their communities, for the future. But she also, no doubt, put care into her wardrobe and appearance – because she told us in Becoming, she figured out how to make it an asset. And she is getting better and better at it.
Yours in gossip,
Lainey
