A look at Michelle Obama's fashions and passions

As Allison Samuels writes in her piece "How Will Michelle Obama Make Her Mark," the first lady's push for Chicago as the host of the 2016 Olympics "provided a glimpse of what Michelle can be like when she wants something: determined, focused, spirited, graceful. We saw flashes of that Michelle during her husband's campaign. But in the year since the election, she's mostly played it safe, dabbling in traditional East Wing issues--much like the first ladies before her--without gaining much traction on any particular front." For Michelle Obama, the role of "Mom-in-Chief" (as she calls herself) is something she's likely still getting used to--before her husband became president, Michelle was vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, and now she's one of most famous stay-at-home mothers in the world. So is it really a surprise that the media is latching onto her outfits as much as her achievements? Here are a few of the first lady's most influential fashion decisions, and her most noteworthy causes.