Last night, the world watched while President Obama gave his last major speech -- the State of the Union -- before starting his campaign. And fashion lovers watched -- probably with equal zeal -- to see what the First Lady was wearing for this major event. Naturally, she did not disappoint.
Michelle Obama stepped out in a cobalt blue sheath dress by favorite, but little known designer, Barbara Tfank. Was the dress, structurally, a little boring? Even with the signature brooch she pinned on, yes. But the flattering bright blue color really stood out out in a sea of blacks and grays, and dare I say, the get-up almost looked like a slight nod to everyone's new fashion hero: Kate Middleton.
Of course, no one will ever know if this was done on purpose or not, but I will say that Barbara Tfank also happens to be the same designer the FLOTUS chose to wear when she met Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. Coincidence? I kind of think not.
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The State of the Union obviously isn't the place to take fashion risks. It's a serious event, and one that wasn't about Mrs. Obama. Wearing a bold pattern or mixing and matching textures would have been a bit out of place last night, so I think the solid dress was a good choice -- but, seriously, wasn't it sort of Kate?
It's actually really easy to envision Kate in Michelle's exact dress. The length, the color (so Kate), and the overall shape are all something perfectly-suited for the Duchess. In fact, it actually reminds me a bit, style-wise, of the dress Kate wore when meeting Mrs. Obama.
I don't think we'll never know if the First Lady's dress was just something she happened to like or if she was, in fact, influenced by Duchess Catherine. But it sure is fun to think the latter.
Did Michelle Obama's dress remind you of something Kate Middleton would wear?
Image via Mark Wilson/Getty