Sunday, January 18, 2009
Belle of the ball
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Quiz
Tuesday is Inauguration Day, and the whole world will be watching Obama.
Specifically, the fashion world will be watching Michelle Obama.
The votes could barely be counted before speculation had begun about what our next first lady would wear to the inaugural balls.
Will she wear turquoise, her favorite color? Bring the bling with sequins and beads? Stay understated (and symbolic) in black and white?
Even Forbes magazine joined the fray, featuring 10 gowns on its Web site that would flatter Obama's "statuesque, athletic frame." Former winners and finalists on Bravo's "Project Runway" sketched their ideas for the gown (as if).
Historically, the first lady's inauguration gown has been a reflection of the times. Tight times call for subtlety and restraint -- just ask Nancy Reagan, who was berated for wearing a white, glittery, Hollywood-esque gown in 1981 during a recession.
We won't claim to have the slightest idea what we'll see on Obama, the youngest first lady since Jacqueline Kennedy. But we will challenge you to a quiz: Can you match these historic gowns with the first ladies who wore them?
-- Lindsey Nair
