It's been a great week of inaugural celebrations, and I've been receiving emails and phone calls asking my opinion of the First Family's inaugural attire.

If I had the honor of offering my professional opinion to the First Lady, here's what I would have said...

First Lady

Your daytime outfit by Cuban-American designer, Isabel Toledo, had many great elements but, when combined together, they fought for my attention.

Here's why:

Color: It was bright and cheerful, but didn't photograph well.  In some shots the dress looked gold, in some bright yellow, and in others pea green.  Toledo described the color as lemongrass and said it was meant to convey "hope and optimism".  We need all the "sunshine" we can get, but this wasn't your best color according to my TV screen.  Other jewel tones would have been more complimentary to your personal coloring.  Adding Jimmy Choo avocado green patent heels and matching J. Crew leather gloves were a distraction.  I would have recommended a neutral skin tone leather so your hands and feet could fade away and not compete with the other elements of your outfit.

Fabric: A beautiful wool eyelet lace fabric but, when used for both dress and coat, added too much texture and bulk for your stature. It added bulk where you'd prefer it not.  If you were set on use of this fabric, I would have recommended its use for the coat only and had the sheath tailored in a matching color but in a smoother texture thus reducing the bulk.  The smoother texture would have been an excellent complement to the smooth texture of your skin and hair.
The fabric lining under the eyelet added sparkle.  Sparkle is modern but, in my opinion, a little too much for the First Lady's daytime attire in a time of deep recession.  My suggestion would have been a more simplistic, understated elegance to compliment The President's style.

Other Elements: The sheath's jeweled collar added more sparkle near your face and the yellow scarf around your neck protected you from cold temperatures, but these elements coupled with the chiffon ties of your cashmere sweater (under your coat) tied in a bow at your bust was more than  needed between waist and neck.  These many elements fought for attention and my eyes didn't know where to land.

Now on to the Balls...

It was endearing to watch you and President Obama express your love and affection as you danced and entertained us.  We could see it in his eyes and in your expression.  May your hearts always stay warm.
Your Jason Wu-designed ball gown was lovely in many ways.