Second only to a Janet Jackson-type "wardrobe malfunction," it is the most unforgettable and unforgivable of fashion faux pas, the kind that makes Joan Rivers' claws come out: Wearing the same dress as another guest at a high-profile event.
It was possibly Laura Bush's most noteworthy blunder during her otherwise tame tenure as first lady, caught as one of four women in a red Oscar de la Renta frock at a White House reception in 2006. But thanks to a new Web site, it's a blunder Michelle Obama should find a bit easier to avoid.
The site, http://www.dressregistry.com, was launched in December in the audacious hope of preventing dress duplicates and promoting fashion diversity among guests at President-elect Barack Obama's various official and unofficial inaugural balls.
The service is free and allows visitors to "register" their dress to an event by listing the designer, color, length and neckline, and uploading a photograph.
Visitors can also inspect what other guests are wearing, like the flowing purple David Meister gown one site user has registered to wear to the Commander-In-Chief Ball or the plunging black Tadashi gown another user has registered to wear to the Stars and Stripes Ball.
Site founder Andrew Jones said the idea was born 10 years ago when he overheard his wife discussing with a friend the lengths she went to in order to avoid wearing the same dress as another guest at formal events.
After years of planning the site, he said the inauguration of the first African-American president seemed the perfect time to launch.
"It just really caught my attention because there's just so much excitement about it and there's so many formal events crammed into one geographic area in a small period of time," said the 42-year-old investment banker with admittedly little fashion savvy in a telephone interview Tuesday.
At events so crammed with photographers, guests may want to avoid turning up in such places as US Magazine's Who Wore it Better feature, he added.
"Women want to feel special and unique when they go to these types of events and they've spent a lot of effort, a lot of time and a lot of money doing that."
The Obamas have been lauded as one of the most fashionable couples to be elected to the White House, with Michelle Obama's sense of style frequently being compared to Jacqueline Kennedy's.
The red floral dress the incoming president's wife wore to the Democratic National Convention solidified designer Thakoon's position in fashion history, and a $148 dress by Donna Ricco sold out within days after Obama wore it for an interview on "The View."
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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