A few folks are salty at First Lady Michelle Obama because she did not choose to wear a gown from a black designer during the many Inaugural balls she attended with husband, President Barack Obama:
The Black Artists Association is upset with our new First Lady for not wearing clothes by African-American designers. BAA Cofounder Amnau Eele, who was a runway model for Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, and Bill Blass, told WWD, “It’s fine and good if you want to be all ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘We Are the World’ by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too?” READ MORE / SOURCE
Designer Isabel Toledo is of Cuban descent and Wu is of Asian descent – both are also independent designers.
MUSEUM WANTS ARETHA’S HAT
And back on the subject of Inauguration fashion – Aretha Franklin’s extravagant hat she wore during the ceremony is now wanted by the Smithsonian Museum. However, The Queen Of Soul might have a hard time letting go of the phenomenon:
“I am considering it. It would be hard to part with my chapeau since it was such a crowning moment in history,” says the Queen of Soul. “I would like to smile every time I look back at it and remember what a great moment it was in American and African-American history. Ten cheers for President Obama.” SOURCE
The museum already obtained Michelle Obama’s dress to place in it’s First Lady Gowns exhibit – they hope to have Franklin’s hat to sit in along side Mrs. Obama’s gown.
I just can not understand why it makes a difference whose dress she wore. They are not just representation for blacks but everyone and all minorities. You would have to be a fool if you do not see that this is what President Obama and our First Lady Michelle Obama are about. Even in choosing his cabinet, he gave positions to minorities, not just blacks. They need to just shut up and give them a chance. They have 4 (hopefully
years for her to have to make appearances and choose designer dresses. My goodness!
yeah i agree with everyone here. why do we have to be so petty? do you think sarah palin or cindy mccain would be wearing a jason wu or an isabel toledo? is it not enough we have our first black president and first family?
Poor black people, finally realizing that it’s not the United States of BLACK America. I just knew that blacks were going to see the Obamas as their saviors.
SMH
But, I told plenty people that blacks need to understand that the Obamas are supposed to represent EVERYBODY—not just us. Obama is NOT just OUR president and Michelle is NOT just OUR first lady. And for some blacks to think that they OWE US something just because they are black too is utterly ridiculous.
And that whole “Kumbaya/We are the world” statement was sadly ignorant and borderline racist.
Black people, Obama is NOT Reparations.
And have you ever thought that Michelle probably liked those designers, therefore she wanted to wear something from designers that she liked?
Also, if your designs are good enough, they will get their shine. Don’t hate on those other folks for getting to dress the First Lady—that is just small, and small people don’t get rewarded.
LOL! @ Aretha’s hat. But she should let that go… really!
And this whole no black designers thing is stupid…….I would have wore anybody if I was invite to a ball- this is excatly why I love michelle obama she all seems to still carry the shyt out of these people and do her. Holla !
PPEACE!
the lady aint even been in the white house a few months and ppl b!tchin already…I’m all for supporting black businesses and stuff but come the fugg on!!!! they were quoted saying it was THEIR moment…..um, s’cuse me it was the OBAMAs moment…..that lady is gonna be photographed at every public appearance and black designers will have so many more opportunities to have their designs worn by her….so why trip? SMH ppl kill me..
that’s why Black people piss me off sometimes…I love my people with all my heart, but we seriously need to calm down…she looked BEAUTIFUL either way it goes…she’s in the freakin WHITE HOUSE with her BLACK HUSBAND as President of the United States…WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT…geez
and thank you #63…HE IS NOT REPARATIONS.. well put
black designers need to seat down sm where their clothes should speak for themselves and not look for the president to promote their clothes, they picked who they like and thats that. stop being insecure and thinking everything is about race. the man is biracial and thats his family he can choose who he want. sell yo clothes to who you want maybe michelle don’t even know these designers people are wearing thats prob why she didn’t pick them ( duh)
I guess she should’ve chose a House of Dereon dress…
The First Lady can wear whatever she wants…but what she wore was ugly…i’ll still say it looked like somebody wrapped a bedspread around her and tacked some shit to it…she probably would have been better off picking someone else…i know she had to have better gowns than that to chose from…Joe Biden’s wife was stunning though in her floor length red gown…now when the vice president’s wife shows up the First Lady that’s a problem…Michelle Obama needs a stylist ASAP.
These Black Designers are so damn racist. What did you expect the first lady to wear? House of Dereon? Baby Phat? They need to get over themselves, Obama is for everybody. These racist group of people should be ashame of themselves.
are you serious? this seems like a bad joke!
i feel retha would you please donate the hat . this was a moment and a time in history that can never be duplicated. and for my kids and my grand-kids and their kids to get the chance to make the trip to washington to see MLK’S memorial and go by the smithsonian and see the article’s that will be kept along side or in the SAME bldg as the declaration of independence and other artifacts is unpresedented. QUEEN OF SOUL GIVE UP THE HAT……… please. where would you keep it in a hat box at home. get you a replica made. i ain’t trying to step on your toes your highness. since you are and have been voted world-wide THE ” UNDISPUTED” QUEEN OF SOUL. internationally known and locally respected. now cry beyonce and matthew and tina turner. baby give up the hat. and your name; the daughter of the late, great REV. C.L. FRANKLIN who’s recorded sermons used to be our alarm clock in the mornings. my dad used to wake us up to go to school w/ the word. and thats where i got the pharse “satan and his host” and have used that saying in some of my blogging from the sermon ‘ pressing on’. and these articles on display will be reserved till the end of time then some. when i go to washington thats if they EVER get the MLK memorial build . it would be nice to stop by and see the hat that the queen of soul wore proud on that day and shook up the world. iam getting up there in age and when i get that way. its something i’d like to see.
testing
Maybe the black designer didn’t do a good job
This is why black people can’t get ahead! We tear each other down even at such a historical moment in history. Who gives a damn whether the designer was black or not? I don’t! I’m just happy that for once we have a brutha and a sista up in the White House. Whomever is upset that she picked a designer of another race needs to open their eyes and mind! We keep ourselves in slavery with this same mindset as the racist people whether they were black or not that are upset with her. GET OVER IT!
These Black Designers…Black people in general are so funny to me…
Let that woman wear whatever she feels like wearing…
There should be a National Hater’s Awards. Seriously, there are too many haters
out here. It’s bad enough that there were and are a lot of people out there mad
that black people are occupying the “White House”. Now someone thinks it’s a
good idea to get mad about what Michelle Obama wears. Check this out, the woman is flawless. Her choices, who’s ever choices where fitting for those occasions. Just because she hasn’t had a black desingner yet doesn’t mean she isn’t going to. It just means she hasn’t yet! She has 4 years, hopefully 8 years to wear an outfit made by a “black designer”. Or reality check, you might not have anything tasteful for such a professional level. Your not complaining when other black celeberties aren’t wearing black designer’s clothes. GET OVER IT!!!
Hey I just want everyone to know that the people that are complaining about her not picking a black designer to design her clothes are petty and did not do their research. During the compaign she has a famous black woman that designs and she has been designing her suits. So yes not only has she had another black woman design her suits, but she is her personal designer. She is well known here in Chicago.
Ignorant way of thinking if that is the case.
the hat need to go.
lol
but they need to leave the first lady alone.
so what if she doesn’t enough or any wear black designer.
it doesn’t matter. get over it.
she hasn’t even been in the white house for a month yet.
plus its not like you seen her closet b4.
give her a break she got other things to be worrying about.
she looks BEAUTIFUL wearing anything.
(so do her cute little daughters.)
&& who are the black designer anyways…………………?
lmao
These people are racist, plain and simple. Race should NEVER be an issue, especially in regards to the designer one chooses to wear from. To wear a black designer’s dress? Come on! What tards.
The BAA needs to grow up!!!!!!!! and suck it up cos ain’t nothing they can do now. inauguration has already been done and thats it!
geezzz….we have a black president and black first lady…what more do u want?
I heart Aretha’s hat. I thought it was PERFECT. She has plenty of hats and money…needs to share it with the world instead of keeping it in her dark closet. When I saw it, just reminded me of a different time when folks used to get dressed up for church.
I agree with pretty much everyone else her about the BAA. I heard the woman that said that got some death threats…that’s ridic — but I bet she wishes she had kept her mouth shut now. A hard lesson.
Thank you #79!! I almost forgot that Michelle has been supporting a black designer for years! These people are rediculous. Any real artist/designer knows that its the art/design thats important and not the race of the person who created it. And, like someone else stated, it just might be possible that Michelle just really wasnt feeling your designs in the first place. Did you ever think about that BAA?
blacks folks are full of drama…dem black designers need to get over themselves, dang we have a black family in the White House, isn’t that enough. STOP STRESSIN’ OVER A DAG ON DRESS!!!!
Man Listen. I LOVE me some Michelle Obama, but that WHITE DRESS she wore to the balls that evening/night, was not pretty, plus it had feathers? I dont know who designed it but whoever did needed to go back to the drawing board on that dress. I am sure the designer was greatful Michelle chose his/her dress for the EVENTS that night & congratulations…but in my opinion Michelle could have done better than that one shoulder feathered white dress–being the classy, stylish woman that she naturally is. I dont think RACE of the designer should be an issue. It would have been nice if a black designers dress/design had been chosen for such a HISTORICAL event. But the woman chose the designers & dresses she wanted.
As for Aretha Franklins HAT. I liked it, alot. I was watching CNN & MSNBC the night of the Inauguration & I heard the “hat jokes” being tossed around from a few of the white folks that night…but they dont know the relationship & history of BLACK WOMEN & their HATS. Look no further than BLACK CHURCHES around the US & you’ll come to understand the connection black women have with their HATS. Aretha is one of them. I understand why the woman doesn’t want to give her HAT up so easily to the Smithsonian. She may want to pass that hat down to other family members, since it has a story behind it now. Rather than giving it away to be left in a glass display some place collecting dust. I hope she keeps her own hat.
ttthats a hot ass mess, black people no they can find somethin to complain about, she chose what she wanted to wear because she is the one who has to wear it what does it matter whether or not it was a black designer.
I think thats is so damn racist of them to say that…sooner or later black people acting the way they do are going to come off just as racist and the whites were back int he day. Just because she is black doesn’t mean that she has to pick a black deisgner, go to a black salon or whatever else she does. All of sudden people think that because Obama is in office that they are going to be bringing in the damn black power fist flag and waving instead of the United State flag. They need to get over it and realize that she has 4 whole years to wear what she wants.
Hell maybe she just loved the design? How would that make her look if she goes’ Well I only want to wear a black designer because I’m black” I think thats the most ignorant ish I have ever heard. Thier clothing should speak for themselves not for what color they are? I think people really need to get a damn clue…and open up thier eyes that Obama seems to be for everybody and his wife also.
# 63
PREACH CHILD, PREACH!!!! lol. Obama is not reparations…….. I Luv It!!!!!! U told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Who says because she is black she has to wear a black designer’s gown. The gown she wore was beautiful and apparently Mr. President liked what she had on
because he was smiling and holding the First Lady like, yea she mine and she looks good.
Black designers your clothes should speak for themselves. She would probably still be waiting for a dress to be done, if she had picked a black designer. (not being funny). But you know who some taylors and seamstress are at the last possible minute they would still be hemming and adding beads of something.
Let it go.
” “MOST OF THEIR BLOGGERS ARE AFRICANS AND CARIBBEANS WHO ARE NOTHING BUT JEALOUS AMERICAN HATERS WHO MASQUERADE AS AMERICANS TO CAUSE DIVISION IN THE BLACK AMERICAN COMMUNITY.”
Speaking as a Caribbean sister there is nothing to envy AA for. Absolutely zilch.
I I actually feel sorry for you all.
“MOST OF THEIR BLOGGERS ARE AFRICANS AND CARIBBEANS WHO ARE NOTHING BUT JEALOUS AMERICAN HATERS WHO MASQUERADE AS AMERICANS TO CAUSE DIVISION IN THE BLACK AMERICAN COMMUNITY.”
We don’t need to stir the pot. You all do a pretty good job of it on your own.
“And Jeanette, should President Obama take himself back to Africa since he IS African and NOT a decendant of Black Amercians. I’m just asking……………………..”
EXACTLY!
Um I hate to say it but “Black Designers” get over it Michelle can wear whatever she pleases she looked AMAZING in the Dress Designed by Jason Wu for the inaguration and the Toledo suit at the inaguration……GET OVER IT AND GIVE THIS WOMAN THE RESPECT SHE DESERVES. She doesn’t owe black designers any thing! Why don’t you all make your clothing more affordable so I can buy it THANKS