Why Michelle Obama Is Not the Next Jackie O | Newsweek Scope

Auf With Their Heads: The ‘Project Runway’ Roundtable
Ramin Setoodeh 8/14/2009 12:00:00 AM
We always try to look our best during our NEWSWEEK roundtables—we've done the Oscars, the Emmys, and more—but sometimes you can't help a fashion emergency. Just minutes before our Project Runway roundtable was set to begin, one of us stained a shirt collar with a big, ugly blob of makeup. Oy. How would we make it work?! Like a mother hen, Tim Gunn swooped to the rescue, wielding a fierce weapon: the tide stick he carries around in his bag. As he dabbed and blotted, he not only saved the day but also gave pointers about how to save the shirt.
Call It Recession Chic
Sameer Reddy 8/4/2009 12:00:00 AM
In the 1980s, a French haute couturier named Christian Lacroix set the fashion world on fire with a curious invention called the pouf skirt. Innovative, extravagant, and decidedly impractical, it has evolved into an iconic symbol of the era's over-the-top sartorial indulgence, an esthetic that one might assume to be obsolete given the global financial meltdown. At this season's couture shows, however, which wrapped up this week, it was clear that reports of luxury's death have been greatly exaggerated. The super-rich continue to consume products that would boggle the mind of ordinary mortals. But these days, designers of $100,000 dresses are striking a note of modesty and discretion in the way they display their wares, even though the price tags remain as precious. The strategic recalibration of their sales pitch matches the moment's mood, and enables wealthy clients to avoid an appearance of insensitivity while continuing to dress in the manner to which they're accustomed.
VIEWPOINT
Michelle Hits Her Stride
Allison Samuels 5/2/2009 12:00:00 AM
There have been plenty of un-veiling ceremonies for new statues at the U.S. Capitol. But when Michelle Obama peeled the cover off the bronze bust of abolitionist Sojourner Truth last week, the moment was heavy with symbolism. Truth is the first African-American woman to be honored with a statue in the Capitol. In a way no first lady before her ever could have done, Obama connected the dots between herself and the black feminist pioneer. "Now many young boys and girls like my own daughters will come to Emancipation Hall and see the face of a woman who looks like them," she told the gathering. "I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America."
FASHION WATCH
The New Black
Kiki Von Glinow 2/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
Wall Street may be losing faith in Barack, but the fashionistas are not so skeptical—Obamamania's all over the runways. At Milan's fashion week in February, designer Gattinoni showed off a kaftan gown with a head-to-toe portrait of the commander in chief (the slogan CHANGE ran along the hemline), while Italian Vogue showcased campaign T shirts paired with feather headpieces. New York fashion week also peddled the Obama magic: Jason Wu, who crafted Michelle Obama's inauguration dress, was one of the hottest tickets in town; the African Fashion Collective Show culminated with a white, body-hugging dress by Xuly Bet, who silk-screened a red, white and blue Obama portrait onto the sheer material. And whether or not it's a true supposition, fashion insiders credit the larger presence of models of color this year to the new first family. Hold onto your Manolos—there's a new tastemaker in town.
Fashion
Branded For Success
Dana Thomas
James Galanos has long been known as America's couturier. His relaxed yet elegant designs defined American fashion for more than half a century, and his customers have included Hollywood stars like Judy Garland and Rosalind Russell, American socialites such as Betsy Bloomingdale, and former American first lady Nancy Reagan, who wore his clothes with great panache. Last month Reagan presented the 83-year-old designer with the Rodeo Walk of Style award in Beverly Hills, California, remarking, "Jimmy deserved this a long time ago." His designs for her—including two White House Inaugural gowns—go on display this month in "Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style," a yearlong exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Museum in California. Galanos recently spoke with NEWSWEEK's Dana Thomas about the state of American fashion today. Excerpts:
‘Runway’ Makeover
Ramin Setoodeh
Like two girls fighting over a cashmere sweater, Project Runway spent 12 months in a legal tug of war between Bravo and Lifetime. (Lifetime won.) We asked judges Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and Tim Gunn to talk about their new home, and other changes we'll see when the show returns on Aug. 20.