Few would disagree that Michelle Obama looked good Monday evening when she addressed delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.The wife of Sen. Barack Obama, the party's presumptive nominee, wore a long, teal-hued dress during her headliner speech.The reaction of many women in my office, and probably across America, was: "Thank God it wasn't a power suit!"And it wasn't. It was young, attractive and modern.And it was more of the pushing-of-the-fashion-envelope that she has done since her husband began campaigning for president last year.Those who regard Michelle Obama as authentic and self-possessed probably applaud her sartorial expression. But those who find her abrasive and scary may be put off by independence that looks like hubris.In many ways, she comes across as tougher than her husband. With her powerful persona and flashy style, she sometimes seems to upstage him and she also appears to struggle with understanding when to be politically correct. That's not something Main Street America is used to or necessarily comfortable with.At special appearances during his campaign, she's worn boldly colored suits and A-line summer dresses, invariably accessorized with pearls or some large piece of jewelry.There was the knee-length purple shift she wore in June when Barack Obama claimed victory in the Democratic primary in St. Paul, Minn., the occasion of the notorious fist bump.That dress was sleeveless, fitted and waist-accentuating with a wide black belt. Sexy. It was assertive if not aggressive, visually propelling her to the forefront and making the candidate seem to recede alongside her.Then there was the black-and-white, leaf-print tank dress she wore later that month when she appeared on "The View." It, too, was sleeveless, with an empire waist, and triggered a rush on the dress at White House Black Market across the country.If she was not a fashion icon by then, she became one a few weeks ago when Vanity Fair magazine named her to its 69th annual International Best-Dressed List.Some have likened Obama's style to that of Jacqueline Kennedy, who was younger than the typical first lady and radically departed from how her predecessors dressed. She brought unfussy and unfrumpy style to the fore during the campaign and into the White House years.Jackie had style, she knew who she was and she owned herself.If that's the statement Obama is attempting, she does so saddled with negatives Kennedy didn't have. Many haven't forgotten her campaign-trail proclamation in February -- "For the first time in my adult life, I'm proud of my country" -- that fueled perceptions that she's angry, bossy and unpatriotic.Her pointy eyebrows, which give her countenance a stern expression, don't help. They should be trimmed into softer lines.And she's unapologetically fierce. In the dress she wore Monday night, she seemed to tread closer to Marilyn Monroe than to a convention-clad Jackie Kennedy.She bared a significant amount of skin, from the three-quarter sleeves to the wide V cuts at the neckline and the backline. The back had a modest slit, and the drape appeared to follow the curve of her buttocks rather than dropping at the curve -- a surprisingly unfortunate feature to an otherwise tasteful look.No one is suggesting that Michelle Obama change who she is.No one is suggesting that she wear flats instead of heels to make insecure people feel less intimidated by her height (nearly 6 feet).No one is saying she should look dowdy, matronly or even conservative to accommodate tradition or to fit in with what Washington has come to expect from a president's wife.The issue is what her fashion choices say about her judgment and awareness of how one's visual image can shatter a perception or reinforce it.In elections, the cliche is true that every vote counts. And because voting depends so much upon perception rather than fact, managing perception just might trump a need to test the borders of first-lady fashion.Barring an unforeseen turn of events, her husband will accept the party's presidential nomination Thursday, likely cloaked in his typically nondescript suit.Look for her to be at his side -- beaming, waving and dressed to kill.(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette fashion editor LaMont Jones can be reached at ljones(at)post-gazette.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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