Holiday dressing: Michelle Obama-style

Hannah Betts helps Michelle Obama select stylish outfits for her holiday on Martha’s Vineyard.

By Hannah Betts

Michelle has made frocks and cardies one of her signature looks. Photo: PA

The Obamas will be proving their presidential worth by summering in the moneyed seclusion of Martha’s Vineyard, off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the island retreat beloved of John F Kennedy and Bill Clinton.

The requirements are comfort and mobility – cookouts, cycling and sailing are favourite island pastimes – but remember, Vineyard vacationers are power players back home (Meg Ryan, Reese Witherspoon and Beyoncé Knowles are also regular visitors), so wardrobes need to be sharp and stylish – in a nonchalant, no-time-taken-to-dress kind of way.

“I can wander around in shorts and not shave in the morning, and no one talks about it,” the President said recently of holidaying in the Vineyard.

That may be, but it is safe to say that his wife’s appearance will be scrutinised as she joins America’s Democratic elite for clambakes and garden parties.

Here, for a British take on preppy vacation chic, we offer the First Lady the following packing suggestions.

Clambakes and cookouts

Michelle has made frocks and cardies one of her signature looks, and it is a perfect one for beachside clambakes and cookouts.The perfect dress for her would be a jaunty nautical number with tie waist by Joules, which would cut a dash and pair nicely with a pair of canvas pumps by Lacoste, alongside her slouchy metallic tote bag from Hobbs. A wide-brimmed hat will protect the First Lady’s complexion, while sunglasses with classic square-shaped frames and charming bow detail sunglasses by Versace would add premier panache.

Day trips with the offspring

Michelle likes to set a sartorial example to daughters Sasha and Malia, so what better than a bright, bold natty striped dress by Tommy Hilfiger? She could work the look with another cardie for her collection (this time by LK Bennett) and add shine with patent slingbacks and complementary straw tote.

A presidential soirée

She may be on vacation, but the First Lady will be reluctant to surrender her status as global fashion force, not least if she is going to be partying with the Vineyard elite such as Oprah Winfrey, the Clintons, and Sir Paul McCartney. A dedicated print enthusiast, Michelle would turn heads in one of Diane von Furstenberg’s relaxed yet attention-seeking full-length frocks.

A lover of cuffs, she may also like Paris-based designer Luc Kieffer’s flower-inspired piece in resin, made in collaboration with Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. Michelle’s biggest coup of the evening would be to sport a sumptuous Hermès scarf, insouciantly knotted into an evening bag. Within 24 hours, every woman in America would be following suit.

On the ocean wave

JFK loved sailing across the bay from the Kennedy clan compound on Cape Cod, and it is likely that the Obamas will find themselves on the ocean waves more than once during their stay.

Since its launch exclusively at House of Fraser back in the spring, Lauren by Ralph Lauren has been flying off the shelves. The reason for its popularity is immediately obvious: quality fabrics, awesome cuts, and modishly preppy styles at a fraction of the price of Ralph Lauren’s main line. Sizing is US and generous, so that a UK 12 might find herself in anything from a US 8 to a positively Olsen-twin US 4.

Michelle would rock Gatsby-esque elegance in Ralph Lauren’s cream and black-trim blazer, paired with a cream cotton top from Hobbs. Her red pedal pushers are Michelle O channelling Jackie O. An unfussy Anya Hindmarch cotton tote and plimsolls by Urban Outfitters complete the air of breezy maritime chic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/fashionnews/5828009/Holiday-dressing-Michelle-Obama-style.html