Michelle Obama in Vogue

Editor-At-Large, André Leon Talley wrote the cover story for the March issue of Vogue, which hits newsstands tomorrow! Both he and our new First Lady had very insightful things to say regarding the new White House staff, the precious Obama children and -of course, fashion. Talley wrote:

"What Michelle Obama is less focused on-in direct inverse proportion to the focus of the public-is fashion. Which isn't to say that she doesn't appreciate good clothes. Or that the fashion choices of a woman whose image will shortly be-or already is-among the most recognizable in the entire world aren't iconic. And thus far, those choices have been fearless. Every moment she sallies forth, she will be scrutinized, then alternately set on a pedestal or skewered. Which, thankfully, hasn't put the brakes on her enthusiasm or originality-so markedly different from, but for an exception or two, previous presidential partners who shrank from matters of style or played it safe. Her self-possession is an inspiration. "I love clothes," she admits. "First and foremost, I wear what I love. That's what women have to focus on: what makes them happy and what makes them feel comfortable and beautiful. If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion."

She later mentioned the sense of "normalcy" she wants to implement in her relationship with her two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

"I'm going to try to take them to school every morning—as much as I can," she says of Natasha (a.k.a. Sasha), seven, and Malia, ten. "But there's also a measure of independence. And obviously there will be times I won't be able to drop them off at all. I like to be a presence in my kids' school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the other parents."

She continued: "I've been grateful that my girls have been able to see parts of the country that I'm just seeing at the age of 44. It's not only seeing Paris, London, and Rome. It's also the remote places… exposing them to what we hope all kids will have: a feeling that they are citizens of the world."

Mrs. Obama also emphasized the changes she wants to see take place in the new White House. "We want entertaining in the White House to feel like America, that we are reminded of all the many facets of our culture. The Latino community, the Asian-American community, the African-American community.…Hip-hop, spoken word—we want to bring the youth in, for them to hear their voices in this."

And adding: "I am excited about the potential of the White House kitchen being a learning environment for the community. The current chef, Cristeta Comerford, is the only female chef in the history of the White House. She's a young Filipina woman, a mother with a young child, and I am excited to get to know her and for her to know us as a family. If you think about all the kids interested in finding out about all of the inner workings of the White House—I'm hoping that we can build a team to reach out."

There are many things that resonate with me from this interview. I love her philosophy of what fashion is supposed to be. It's inspiring to see someone who the fashion industry has somewhat idolized return us all to the basics: How do our clothes make us feel? How do your clothes conjure notions of self-satisfaction and confidence? These are all important questions the industry, in mass, has either forgotten or just blatantly ignored. Michelle Obama remains my ray of hope!
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from my friend Kiyanna at http://thefashionablemind.blogspot.com/