After a day of amazing looks by various designers, Michelle Obama wore Tom Ford tonight for the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
The stunning layered ivory gown with criss crossed bodice is breath-taking.
Admittedly it’s a tad bridal for my personal tastes, but gorgeous nonetheless.
Mrs O wore hair up in a chic updo and accessorized with Cathy Waterman earrings, a silver clutch and evening gloves.
The two factors which slightly put me off this look are the gloves and the fact that she’s wearing the same colour dress as the Queen.
It’s almost like wearing white to a friend’s wedding.
The dapper President complemented his wife’s gown by wearing a white bow tie for the evening.
Can you imagine Tom Ford’s ego after this? 
Credit: Getty
- Tweet
- Tell us what you think »
- 54 Comments
MORE FROM RED CARPET FASHION AWARDS:
Posted by Catherine Kallon on May 24th, 2011 In: Michelle Obama, Tom Ford
Katherine Jenkins In Roksanda Ilincic – Royal Ascot
Eva Longoria In Pamella Roland – ‘Devious Maids’ LA Premiere
Taylor Schilling In Calvin Klein – Netflix Presents ‘Orange Is The N...
Zhang Ziyi In Jill Stuart & Andrew Gn – Shanghai Film Festival
Hailee Steinfeld’s Jimmy Choo ‘Raven’ Sandals
Sandra Bullock In Michael Kors & ASOS – ‘The Heat’ Berlin Photocall
if u look in the back whoever it is is also in the same color maybe it was the dress code? i would have loved this sans gloves with a statement cuff
possibly right, but it still feels strange.
yea this dress would have looked stunning in emerald green
nah i saw the dinner on bbc, there was alot of color! i think michelle wears style influenced by whoever she’s going to meet! this is the second time in one day where there was some sort of similarity between her and the queen
STUNNING! TRULY DIVINE!
That’s a great look for FLOTUS…and the smile is just the right finishing touch
I’m sorry, I think the look is absolutely, absolutely perfect. The queen loves women who wear gloves to the state dinner and in a way it is so much a respect thing for her to have done it. The white issue, seriously…moanssss….that’s hardly a factor. It isn’t bridal! If it was half a shade darker no one would say that because the cut and style of the dress is not bridal in the least. I think this is her best look EVER.
I completely agree! Definitely one of my top five faves from Mrs. O.
I agree with everything you are saying!!!!!! I think she looks fabulous………and the fashion critic is just lookin for something bad to say about her.In my opinion Ms,Obama is the best fashionable first lady that ever was in the whithouse.
now this is what American Royalty looks like
she looks simply beautiful!
FC, you forgot to say BDOTW!!! This is better than the Mcqueen for me!
The McQueen still gives me goosebumps. That dress was far superior IMO
i agree, the color and cut of the mcqueen were divine
all her outfuts during these visit are on point
Minus the gloves, I’m in love. Can Prince Philip stop staring at her lol? In all the pics I’ve seen of him with the Obamas, he’s looking at Michelle like this o.O
Hello to the BRIDE!!
She is SHUTTING IT DOWN!!! I love it. BDOTW-worthy for sure. As a side note, I feel like her fashion choices have been much better than during their last visit to England. No more cardigans to visit the Queen, just full-on glamour!!
Michelle Obama looks stunning, and her husband doesn’t look bad either – very well done I think!
She’s so stunning I can’t take it…too faboo, too faboo
she looks like something out of my fair lady! at first i hated it, but the more i look at it, the more i love it.
White was the dress code to this event. Gloves were to cover the arms most likely.
Thanks for the confirmation
I like the colour, we could say it was unfortunate that the Queen wore the same colour as Michelle, they do complement each other somehow! I actually like the gloves, she has the arms for them and without them she would have looked a little bare for a state function and it is a nod to formality and elegance. I think they all look amazing, and the Obamas have flown the flag for American designers beautifully. Bravo!
I agree: lose the gloves! But the dress looks SO fantastic on her that it makes up for it.
Do people at these events know ahead of time what other people are wearing?
This is snoozeville Looks like Mrs. O got Princess of snoozeville style advice form Kate Middleton. This is embarrassing for Michelle’s stylist and in general.
Aren’t the gloves mandatory for white tie events? The dress’ cut is stunning, but I’m nto sold on the white, because like you, FC, I think that if the hostess, who happens to be the queen and an older woman is wearing a certain color, the guest should not wear the same color. But that’s just me. all in all Michelle looks stunning and that trip is far more successfull than the first one, with the¨::shudder:: cardigan ::shudder:: parade.
I’m hoping white was the theme of the evening.
I would be mortified if I arrived for dinner wearing the same colour as the Queen.
She looks absolutely Regal! Royalty! amazing! fabulous..Love everything about this, including the gloves. Meeting the queen, absolutely appropriate. This woman’s sense of style is just amazing. FINALLY!
Tom’s ego was the size of Texas…… now Texas is no match!
Lol
now we have more secret collections to look forward to!!! aren’t you excited?
gorgeous!
I really like it, while I wasn’t convinced by the other outfits she wore for this visit to Buckingham Palace. I love the gloves, I think they’re appropriate for the event. And I think Tom Ford will be so proud and glad, since we haven’t seen his creations worn a lot in the last months.
I believe the dress code was white tie. This accounts for the white tie for gentlemen. Not a choice by President Obama to compliment the color of his wife’s gown. White tie does tend to kick the dress code into the very highest gear, allowing for gloves, tiaras and the finest jewelry. Long gowns for ladies and white tie and tails for the gentlemen are the intended standards, to the best of my understanding.
See http://www.debretts.com/etiquette/special-occasions/dress-codes/white-tie.aspx
Debrett’s is always useful for this sort of social navigation.
Cheers!
agree
To be fair to Michelle with regards to the colour thing, the Queen usually wears bright colours so unless the dress code is white, Michelle probably picked white because she thought she wouldn’t clash with Queen.
Stunning dress, but she’s had far better moments.
Dress code definitely wasn’t ‘white’, rather, white tie. If you go to the last picture of the state dinner you can see all the other guests in different colours, including (I think) Camilla in a deep turquoise.
But she looks great all the same.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-13518697
She looks absolutely stunning.
Michelle looks stunning and i like the gloves…it really does add to the elegance and formality of the occasion.
I really don’t like it the gloves and it’s way to bridal.
I agree. Tom Ford must be pissed
I would like to nominate the Queen for the BDOTW just for her jewelry. That tiara is absolutely bling-bling!!
the dress doesnt do much for me, i agree its VERY BRIDAL! the GLOVES are the best part of the outfit! I THINK PROPER ETIQUETTE requires that she has her shoulders covered when in the presence of the Queen!
I THINK TOM FORD COULD HAVE MADE A BETTER CHOICE FOR MICHELLE!
I do think she looks great and she obviously feels it too. The only issue I have with MO is that she has such strong shoulders and upper arms that there’s no need to further emphasise them, kwim? Instead of wearing such cut away styles that make her shoulders appear bigger, I think the criss cross should be a little wider apart to keep in proportion with her overal frame. And that little part between the armpit and bust would be better covered. If she had very narrow shoulders of course the dress should cut in more.
About the gloves, I know they’re correct for such a formal occasion again, there’s just too much of them!
I would prefer the top part of the dress to have a delicate covering over the shoulders and for her to have worn elbow length sleeves. That would have been perfection for me.
I kind of hate it.
I think the cut is flattering and the creamy ivory looks glorious with her skin tone. Going back and forth on the looking bridal/wearing the same color as the queen points. Re bridal, it would be a shame though if only brides could wear white/ivory/cream gowns.
The biggest plus for me? After seeing a number of gowns at various events that are too long for the wearer, I am positively THRILLED to see a gown that falls properly to the floor at the perfect length.
Stunning! Our First Lady looks quite regal and glamorous. The gloves, while no longer mandatory, are quite traditional. The color might be bridal, but the cut and style of the dress are definitely not. The ivory looks gorgeous with her coloring and the whole look is a modern take on what Jacqueline Kennedy wore in 1961 when visiting the Queen:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/royalty/5125745/Queen-Elizabeth-II-with-Presidents-of-the-United-States.html?image=8
the dress is so boring. personally for me michelle has lost her sparkle that she used to have.
the queen on the other hand looks fabulous.
How are you supposed to know what color the queen is going to wear? Does she tell the assistants in advance?
Excellent point. Hmmm, now I’m a little put off by the hostess wearing the same color dress as her guest.
Maybe they could have a sleep-over the night before and talk about what to wear while they paint their nails and watch Jersey Shore!
LMAO. You never know. Some reports suggest that the Queen is charmed by the FLOTUS. Could be the ladies decided to coordinate their looks over a spot of tea or a pint of frothy ale. Further, one wonders why no one says the Queen looks bridal in white. I think the Queen looks quite fetching. But I digress…
she looks AMAZING!
bananas.