The Dress Debate: What People Are Saying About Michelle Obama’s Election Night Outfit

Yesterday, you guys had a lot to say about the Narciso Rodriguez dress Michelle Obama wore on election night. And you weren’t the only ones. Everyone is voicing their views on whether the dress made a good statement, or a horrible, ill-fitting one. Currently, a People.com poll has 65 percent saying they hated Michelle’s fashion choice, and an Us Weekly poll found that 79.6 percent didn’t like her dress. Perhaps Michelle’s fashion choices will help Americans take more fashion risks over the next four years? Keep reading…

• We’re not sure this is what her husband meant by “change,” but for style watchers—not to mention anxious retailers—it will be refreshing to have a First Lady with a progressive sense of fashion. [Style.com]
• Last night she wore a dress from Narciso Rodriguez’s spring 2009 collection, one of the most critically acclaimed of New York Fashion Week. Michelle’s style has impressed on the campaign trail with frugal finds from places like J.Crew and H&M and designer threads by designers like Narciso and Thakoon. But we don’t recall seeing her jump seasons ahead. That dress hit the runway less than eight weeks ago and isn’t on sales floors yet, which means special arrangements were made between Michelle and Narciso. Perhaps he lent it to her, or she asked to purchase it after he sent it to her….What will she choose for the inaugural ball? The suspense is so exciting already! And you know what else is great about this? We don’t have to envy France for Carla Bruni anymore! [NYMag.com]
• How chic was she, and how fun are the next eight years going to be watching her support amazing American designers? [PaperMag.com]
• Michelle Obama will surely remember last night, the night her husband was elected the first African American President of the United States, forever. And we’ll be looking at pictures of it forever. So it’s a good thing the future first lady chose a stylish Narciso Rodriguez dress. The red and black frock was based on a design from Rodriguez’s spring 2009 runway show. [ShinyStyle]
• And, while on the aforementioned blog’s commenters went wild calling fashion foul and criticizing the choice, I’d argue Michelle Obama made her most commendable fashion statement as of yet. The dress was by all accounts unexpected, unconventional, and right on trend (the cummerbund detailing immediately calls to mind this season’s pervasive bondage theme, not to mention the skirt initially was partially transparent—a ubiquitous SS09 theme—though Mrs. Obama appropriately covered up so as to make it opaque). Like any true fashion icon, Michelle Obama knows how to push the sartorial envelope, and how to ruffle some fashion feathers. [BlackBookMag.com]
• Indeed Michelle could have gone conservative Beltway. She could have taken the safe route with some lame-o matching jacket and skirt, or some simple sheath dress with (yawn) pearls so that the entire fashion press could tap their white-goved fingers delicately against their palms in approval. Instead, she took a chance with this zingy little number, some freeflowing locks, and, I think, a glimpse at her youth, energy, and independent streak. [Blogher]
• Move over Carla Bruni, there’s a new fashion-forward first lady in town! Michelle Obama looked stunning last night at her husband’s victory speech in a red Narciso Rodriguez dress from the designer’s Spring ‘09 collection. She’s already proven herself to be a chic candidate, mixing staples from J. Crew and H&M into her wardrobe, not to mention sporting Thakoon at the DNC. With such an inclination for sartorial sophistication, perhaps we have a new Jackie O on our hands? About time! [TeenVogue.com]
• Michelle’s ensemble was an eye sore….All the blame goes to Lady Obama’s Wardrobe Stylist. Wardrobe Stylist should know that some things should be left on the runway! [Examiner.com]
• The normally impeccable Michelle O made a questionable choice for her husband’s historic election night victory: a red & black Narciso Rodriguez frock from Spring 2009.  While eyecatching on the runway, it’s less than flattering in real life, especially paired with a black cardi which throws off the proportions. However, every fashionista worth her salt takes risks (two words: Carrie Bradshaw) which means the occasional misstep. [FashionTribes.com]
• It was moving to see Michelle Obama on stage with her husband, and she’s not a woman we would ever cross. She’s also elegant! But what was the story with that dress? A lucky garment of some sort, perhaps? [Gawker]
• Next to Jill Biden in her skirt suit, Obama looked like a breath of chic air. Something tells me that Washington is about to become a very stylish place. [LATimes.com]
• Michelle Obama’s red-and-black election night frock may have inched her further away from her burgeoning Jackie O. style status — and closer into Mrs. O. No territory. [AM New York]
• So that weird blocky criss-crossy thing Michelle Obama wore last night was by Narciso Rodriguez, based on his Spring 2009 collection. Maybe it looked really awesome up close? [Wonkette]