AFTER Mrs Obama's lovely frocks - glamourous and chic without being overly flashy - in India, what she wore on the United States First Couple's 18-hour visit to Jakarta was slightly disappointing.
Mrs Obama's choice of outfits in India reflected her elegant taste, and an effort to pay tribute to India's heritage of richly-coloured, finely-detailed and hand-crafted textiles.
At a state dinner in New Delhi, she chose the creations of American designer Rachel Roy (who is of Indian and Dutch heritage), pairing a gold tunic with a metallic silver floor-length velvet skirt.
Then, at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, she paired a stretchy black top with a quirky flower pin on her left shoulder, and a lush green and purple skirt by Belgian designer Dries van Noten. The colours blended in with the greenery of the site, and the rose petals that Mr and Mrs Obama scattered on the memorial.
Writer Robin Givhan of the Washington Post pointed out that Mrs Obama's choice of outfit 'speaks to India's expertise in embroidery and beading'.
Designer Van Noten, Ms Givhan went on to say, 'is known for his love for ethnic-inspired fabrics and lavish decoration [and] is particularly indebted to the country's skill at fine handiwork'.
In Indonesia, Mrs Obama's outfits seemed purposefully modest, but unnecessarily so.
On the tarmac in Jakarta's Halim airport, she was all covered up in a black-and-red patterned tunic and black flare pants, in the style of the Indian salwar-kameez. At the state dinner later, she wore a brown and taupe printed dress by Chinese-American designer Derek Lam. The dress prints were reminiscent of traditional ikat - woven and dyed - fabric. She also wore a bib necklace with a pretty gold and brown stones by Indian designer Ranjana Khan but the necklace ended up blending into the dress.
However, her chartreuse pantsuit the next morning, when she visited the Indonesia’s famed Istiqlal Mosque, was a flop. It was unflattering and the pants were too long - in fact, they were dragging on the ground and she had to hold them up.
The Mrs O blog, which charts Mrs Obama's fashion choices, said the First Lady had debuted the pantsuit in July, when she wore it cinched at the waist with a glittery belt and heels. But when buttoned up, paired with stockinged feet and a silk scarf - fashioned into a headscarf, as she covered her head to follow Muslim custom - she looked plain frumpy.
Mrs Obama's chartreuse pantsuit failed to impress. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
It was almost as if the First Lady, who had the right intentions of dressing modestly, was given the wrong advice by her aides. Some 90 per cent of Indonesia's population are Muslim, but they are mostly moderate and would not bat an eyelid at form-fitting clothes in the big cities. Jakarta women especially are not afraid of showing skin – this is particularly obvious at dance clubs and wine lounges. At gala events, the traditional kebaya has been spotted both glammed-up and deconstructed, in an array of bright colours, embellished with bling, with see-through lace and thigh-high slits.
At the Istiqlal mosque, Mrs Obama would have been expected to wear something conservative, but this could have taken the form of a flowing caftan, long harem pants with a tunic or even tailored pants and a structured long jacket, all paired with some baubles. Those items do star in the collections of Indonesia's 'Islamic' fashion designers.
Fashionistas here would have wanted to see more traditional textiles - from batik to woven fabrics like
songket and tenun - on the First Lady. For now, they can only wait in hope to see if a homegrown designer
gets his day in the sun. Paris-trained Priyo Oktaviano made a bright purple sleeveless dress from Balinese songket which he presented to Mrs Obama earlier this week. Mr Priyo is a well-known face in the Jakarta fashion circuit, his drapey-tunic dresses and whimsical brocade designs popular among professionals and the tai-tai set. He said he had looked up Mrs Obama's size on the Internet.
There has been no word on whether Mrs Obama kept the dress or if so, whether she will wear it.
But Mr Priyo, in comments to The Jakarta Globe, said: 'Michelle liked the songket.'
-
http://fotobox.allergiesaid.com/2011/11/07/lynnlee-belts/ Lynnlee belts | Fotobox
-
http://free-live-streaming.info/johnriel-casimero The Filipino Prospect
-
http://www.empowernetwork.com/jds2012iiie99845iooo Helen Matthews
-
http://www.ostersundsflygklubb.nu/wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Change_AC_Energy_to_DC_Power5591786 Multisystem LCD TV
-
http://gotract.swanservices.com/?q=node/51040 quick cash payday loan
-
http://www.101creditnow.com.sg/ My Home Website
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axs5bqoyKJM alcohol distillation
-
http://wyhaczone.be/rozrywka,i,hobby/kalendarz,s,5666/ kalendarz
-
http://lasvegaspizza.info Las Vegas Pizza
-
http://mentormedia.net.pl Pisanie PRAC
-
http://www.itesttrackbacks.com read more
-
http://mv1929.dyndns.org/wiki/index.php?title=Cutting-Edge_Property_Advice_For_Property_Buyers605511 Find the best real estate agents in Aspen Colorado
-
http://vimeo.com/48576376 distilling rum at home
-
http://iqtest.com/lldo937984g Lia Counts
-
http://www.ziki.com/en/herrin+1335473/post/provestrareview+14667508 provacyl
-
http:/sandbet99.com แทงบอลออนไลน์
-
http://www.halogenovenreviews123.org/russell-hobbs-12-litre-halogen-oven Russel Hobbs Halogen
-
http://www.hastarehberi.com sağlık
-
http://seo2011.ru/2013/02/22/monetizaciya-fajlovogo-trafika Monetizaciya fajlovogo trafika
-
http://www.ankaraescortz.com ankara escort
-
http://rak-gr.narod.ru Rak grudi
-
http://bettowin88.com แทงบอลออนไลน์
-
http://www.dreambox.gen.tr dreambox
-
http://www.google.com/Sta Google
-
http://spyzrus.com spy
-
http://kwiaty157.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/projektant-wnetrz-gdansk/ Aranżacje mieszkań w Gdańsku
-
http://www.onlinerx4all.com/stendra_generic.html Generic Stendra
-
http://www.saluxuryexpeditions.com/destinations/machu-picchu-tours.php Machu Picchu Tours
-
http://www.answerme.org/chatrandom.com do you agree
-
http://www.creamneuron.de/wordpress/2011/11/05/cylon-raider-tos-scratchbuild-project-work-in-progress/olympus-digital-camera-54/ click over here
-
http://flavors.me/finasteridereview1 order finasteride 40mg in canada
-
http://new-page.org/article.php?id=198629 official statement
-
http://lilius.org/does-google-sniper-really-work-honest-review/ Google Sniper 2.0
-
http://pischeblog.org/another-list-after-youve-figured-this-all-out-is-one-which-includes-all-the-ways-in-which-you-would-like-to-market-your-business-2/ more..
-
http://mbnnsdjfirettyryutiui.com see page
-
http://www.vipcallgirls.co.uk nottingham escorts
-
http://megasuert.com http://megasuert.com
-
http://planethospital.blogspot.com payday loans
-
http://www.escort-ladies.me/ Dubai escorts
-
http://www.dsduretburr.com/ gutrekilop
-
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s315/sh/d84c5355-33f4-4ab9-9d27-557ae7a91fcd/cc91094fa828f34d570d4fed97265f90 blu cigs how it works
-
http://www.google.com/mkyxwpde Google
-
http://lilius.org/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people-pdf/ How to Win Friends and Influence People PDF Download
-
http://www.tabletki-odchudzanie.net/ tabletki na odchudzanie
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr-W95CRjzs How to Win Friends and Influence People By Dale Carnegie PDF
-
http://is.gd/howtowinf84 how to win friends and influence people kindle free download
-
http://snipurl.com/howtowinf how to win friends and influence people free audio download
-
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/secured-loans secured loans, bad credit loans, loans
-
http://tehomot.wordpress.com Learning Disabilities
-
http://www.pasqualilaw.com oklahoma super lawyer
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAoj21RFd88 is the family survival course a scam
-
http://www.willevansclothing.com http://www.willevansclothing.com
-
http://www.davido.biz interiorni vrati
-
http://shopforfollowers.com/ Buy instagram Followers
-
http://www.sgdirectory.sg/personalloan/ get max loan
-
http://www.consoleandhollawell.com Online Gambling
-
http://www.mattmcgrawphotography.com Wilmington, NC Photographer
-
http://www.keefebartels.com defamation lawyer
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruXVwAXuaVI survival ebook collection
-
http://www.pursenirvana.com coach purses
-
http://is.gd/qxo24w33 Megan Fox Hot
-
http://tiny.cc/6bokwzgeg Megan Fox Hot
-
http://tiny.cc/sua1mduo Megan Fox Hot
-
http://www.fastsigns.com/364-madison banners madison
-
http://www.google.com/tdtstols Google
-
http://samochody319.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/zdrowy-dom/ filtry do wody
-
http://www.fastsigns.com/364-madison-wi banners madison
-
http://www.dingwizard.org paintless dent removal training – http://www.dingwizard.org
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1Tf1hzWCSY Getcashforsurveys Review
-
http://joomlacode.org/gf/download/trackeritem/30699/80269/158.html best website to buy cigarettes
-
http://www.naheedali.com health and wellness speaker
-
http://is.gd/w4vbioxmd .. [read more]
-
http://is.gd/coeejuy2 here.
-
http://www.LloydIrvinRapeTruth.com Lloyd Irvin Rape
-
http://camchat-flirt.com/ camchat
-
http://www.projectlaunch.com.sg/the-luxurie/ The Luxurie at Sengkang MRT
-
http://hillviewpeak101.bravesites.com/entries/general/hillview-peak-tips-before-you-buy-a-residential-apartment Hillview Peak at Hillview Peak
-
http://fishyfly.co.uk/ fly tying supplies
-
http://www.diyweddingflowers.info diy wedding roses
-
http://achetercialisenpharm.wix.com/acheter-cialis acheter cialis en ligne france
-
http://styleofsound.com music magazine
-
http://www.LloydIrvinRapeTruth.com Lloyd Irvin Rape
-
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s273/sh/82c0e278-d81a-4e98-b57d-3db81144c953/450990467f61adf44c875a448197425c cialis non ha funzionato
-
http://www.stadt-fuessen.de füssen
-
http://www.dallasbestlocksmith.com/automotive-car-lockout/ Emergency Locksmith
-
http://rgierwog-fnewiof.com/the-solidity-of-the-research-design-alone-decides-the-success-or-failure-of-the-research-program-to-a-large-extent/ Global Test Market review
-
http://sellmycar.org click here
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J75PV9Cf8qw black dentist in houston
-
http://www.lidasatis.net kesin lida