The Reasonably Prudent Law Student

We’re slowly ringing in the year 2010 with Michelle Obama’s usually impeccable sense of style. I have to admit that the Jackie O comparisons when Barack announced his candidacy and started focusing on the primaries annoyed me, but I got over it.

And really, Michelle has put Jackie O to shame. Yeah, I said it. Jackie O rather famously told her designers not to knock off the dresses they made for her because she didn’t want American ‘housewives’ walking around in her exquisite clothes. Michelle O, on the other hand, wears dresses from JCrew and Talbots, and often pairs her designer wear with low-end accents.

Suck it, Jackie O. You priss.

I absolutely loved this dress that Michelle wore when she was off doing stuff somewhere with those people at the thing.

Look at that silhouette. Feminine and flattering. Michelle often rocks bright colors, and she’s got a boatneck going on here. The dress nips in at the waist, giving her a great hourglass shape and emphasizing her narrow waist, and look at those clean lines.

Flawless.

Here are some dresses that, while not identical or even particularly convincing knock-offs, bring in some of the elements about this outfit that I j’adore. Just adore, that is.

1. Floral Belted Cap Sleeve Dress – $67.96

Huh? Huh? I know. Not bad as far as knock-offs go. Yes, it’s a little short. Go cry about it. And then put on some panty-hose or tights or something. Or don’t wear it to work. Whatever, I’m not an animated woodland creature; I don’t dress you in the mornings. And you’re no princess, either. Hmph.

2. Satin Sheath Dress – $78.90

Now, as far as getting a sleek feminine silhouette like Michelle’s, you can’t do much better than this. Look at the shape of that dress. Clean and polished and classy. I like dresses with a bit of stretch to them – at worst, yeah, they’re tight and you look like a sausage with a too-tight casing, but at best, it sucks you in at all the right places and you look amazing.

3. Indi Dress – $50.70

If you’re looking for something short and flirty, perhaps for a party or something and decidedly NOT for the office, this isn’t a bad pick at all. It’s got a neat stitched bodice, cute print, and it comes in a great color.

4. Twist Front Floral Dress – $54.90

This one’s not bad, even though it has a V-neck and the bodice isn’t as tight, and the skirt is a little swingier. But it’s still incredibly flattering for almost all body types with that pseudo-empire waist created by the twist, the V-neck, and the line of the skirt.

5. Pintuck Knit Dress – $58.90

This one has a bit of a square neckline, fitted sleeves, and the pintucks make for a very flattering silhouette, emphasizing an hourglass figure. Simple, but pretty.

6. Off the Shoulder Belted Dress – $19.99

You know I wouldn’t let you nerds off that easy – I had to include a piece from Victoria’s Secret. This isn’t purple, but it’s damn pretty is what it is. We’ve got a really nice off-the shoulder look that I’m actually a big fan of. I despise off-the-shoulder looks that basically shove the sweater puppies all up in yo’ grill. Who needs that?

Don’t answer that.

:-|

I’m watching all of you.

Anyway, the neckline’s great, I like the way it nips in at the waist with that belt, and it hits just a little below the knee. And that rich sangria has to be my favorite color in the world. Anything in the crimson-scarlet neighborhood, I’m a big fan of.

And LOOK at that price tag. No, I’m serious, look at it. Just look at it. Are you looking?! Oh. Sorry. I couldn’t tell. I’m sitting kind of far away. And my eyes, they don’t see as good as they used to.

I blame law school.

And the fact that it’s made me stab myself in the eyes with things.

7. Silk Dress – $79

This dress is available in plus sizes and emphasizes an hourglass shape that is generally flattering. It’s got a nice silky finish, cute cap sleeves, and it hits at the knees.

8. Faux Wrap Jersey Dress – $53.90

This wrap dress works with similar elements: quarter sleeves, a nipped in waist, and a pretty purple print.

Let’s see, what accessories would work with this? We can’t see Michelle’s shoes, but I bet she’s wearing black pumps. A lot of the time, when she’s wearing bright colors with a not-super-fancy dress, she wears black shoes. She doesn’t mess around that much with colored shoes; generally, if she’s wearing colored shoes, they’re silver or gold or somewhere in that brassy, yellow neighborhood because she’s all dressed up, or she’s wearing a pale pink or taupe flat, or black pumps/flats. The only time I’ve seen her rock bright colors on her shoes is when she’s gardening and wearing bright Puma slip-on sneaks.

So you might consider wearing something like this:

The original dress, and a couple of the alternatives, has a pencil skirt, and round toe shoes look great with pencil skirts because those skirts slim your hips and backside and the round toe calls attention to the curves of your calves.

Yes, I know it sounds borderline gibberish, but just trust me.

And there we have another pretty Michelle Obama ensemble, with the promise of more to come. Blah blah blah and then stuff happened.