For her last appearance on “Oprah” Michelle Obama, accompanied by her husband, wore a sleeveless, printed, patchwork-style, silk, georgette dress by London-based designer Duro Olowu.  The dress seemed to embody all the divergent indentities we associate with Michelle and expect her to effortlessly embody.  It was: dressy, relaxed, sassy, traditional, ethnic, afro-centric, chic, bold, and crafty.

Olowu has a knack for making clothing that are bright and beautiful but also incredibly street-wise.  Dries van Noten was doing this for a while, but then retreated back into severe tones and slumpy profiles.  And Xuly Bet does something like this too, but his pieces lack a sense of polish.  Olowu does separates and men’s clothes too but it’s his dresses that are really outstanding.  They’re like very modern kimonos, lavish, lyrical, and rigorously structured, but for an entirely liberated figure.