Free Republic

If a fashion writer for French Elle is to be believed—and she is not—African-Americans weren't stylish until the Obama family came into office. "For the first time, the chic has become a plausible option for a community so far pegged [only] to its street wear codes," writes Nathalie Dolivo in a post translated from the magazine's website titled 'Black Fashion Power.' And if this sweeping stereotyping and flat-out ignorance weren't already off base, Dolivo goes on to explain why the so-called Obama renaissance of style is so "chic." According to her assessment, it embraces "white codes" while still making...

Michelle Obama Wore a $2K+ Barbara Tfank Dress to State of the Union “As the President declared his intent to help buoy the 99% (“Asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense,” he declared), his wife dazzled in a cobalt sheath from Barbara Tfank’s resort collection. While reps for the brand won’t reveal the item’s retail price, a similar style from the collection is currently available at Barney’s New York for $2,400.”

In 2010, she wore red. In 2011, she wore white. So, what did Michelle Obama wear in 2012? A politically-charged, patriotic shade of blue. The First Lady looked regal in a short-sleeved, sapphire-blue, Barbara Tfank dress Tuesday evening for the President's State of the Union address. Tfank, a New York and Los Angeles-based designer, prides herself upon designing pieces that are "timeless." [Snip] The First Lady's hair and makeup looked perfectly elegant as well... and we're dying to see some photos of her shoes.

With hunting season underway, the Rick Santorum campaign will unroll a new variation on his signature fashion item, the sweater vest. Supporters will soon be able to buy Santorum hunting vests in bright orange that proclaim the “right to bare arms,” Mr. Santorum said at a campaign stop in Rock Hill, S.C., on Friday. Associated Press Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum wears one of his trademark sweater vests during a campaign appearance Thursday in Charleston, S.C. (photo at article link) The Republican presidential candidate said his website has already sold close to 1,000 sweater vests in the...

A size 6 is now plus size in the fashion world, and most runway models meet the physical criteria for anorexia, according to a report that offers shocking insight into the disparity between models and the real-life women they are purporting to represent. In the January issue of PLUS Model Magazine, plus size model Katya Zharkova and a straight size model are seen in the nude in an attempt to “open the minds of the fashion industry," which is stepping further away from reality, according to PLUS founder and editor-in-chief, Madeline Figueroa Jones. Photo courtesy of PLUS Model Magazine. The...

Complete title: Well what else would one wear on a $4m break? From $2,000 dress to $1,000 skirt, Michelle Obama's lavish Hawaii wardrobe revealed Michelle Obama successfully managed to rile U.S. taxpayers with her lavish $4m family jaunt to Hawaii this Christmas. But it seems her expensive taste has not stopped there, as her vacation wardrobe has proved to be equally lavish. Though the First Lady has only been spotted on a couple of occasions since arriving in Kailua, Oahu, some sartorial analysis of her fashion choices has revealed that her outfits have been consistently high-end. A classic example, as...

It would take more than mere heart surgery to shake the indomitable spirit of Prince Philip. Hours after his life-saving operation, he was demanding to be released from hospital. ‘I feel fine’, the irascible 90-year-old told doctors who had carried out an emergency operation to treat a blocked coronary artery. ‘I don’t want to make a fuss. I just want to go home.’ An insider at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire said: ‘He is itching to get out.’ However, it was confirmed that he would remain there for at least another night. The Queen, who flew the 60 miles by helicopter...

<p>Good citizens of Atlanta, the Obamas were spotted heading off to church via foot from the White House, traversing Lafayette Park to get to St. John's Church for their Sunday services on December 11, 2011 in Washington, DC.</p> <p>The buzz is that President Obama’s stance on religion was on personal attack in a commercial launched by Rick Perry, that claims that Barack Obama has a supposed “war on religion.”</p>

They were once considered quite handsome -- those bulky Christmas sweaters adorned with reindeer, shiny snowflakes and even lights. If you grew up in the 70's or 80's your parents probably have at least one picture of you and your siblings all decked out in a matching set. Probably turtlenecks, if your parents were especially cruel. Those hideous sweaters disappeared for a while, but they've made an ugly comeback in recent years. And you can blame Nancy Schloetel, at least in part. The next time you see someone sporting a Christmas sweater with an Elmo doll, Mariners logo or trio...

Now we can all get Michelle Obama's look! First Lady's fashion secrets revealed in first book dedicated to her style Since her husband's inauguration, Michelle Obama's wardrobe has received as much attention in the spotlight as the First Lady herself. In 2009, she was named as one of the world's most beautiful women. The same year, she was awarded a CFDA gong honouring her role in American fashion - and all while wowing a global audience with her grace, elegance and daring style, championing new designers and supporting U.S. business, and her husband, to boot. It comes are no surprise,...

If you’ve ever wandered into a Lululemon store or perused the website of this purveyor of ultra-hip “yoga-inspired” athletic apparel, you may have noticed that the company is not trying to sell merely a pair of buttocks-compressing pants but a worldview. Even in this age of lifestyle peddlers, when Abercrombie & Fitch lures mall rats with visions of Ivy League insouciance and Apple promises to turn even your clueless dad into a tech-savvy aesthete, Lululemon stands out. Why buy a plain old gym bag when for $128 you can have a Destined for Greatness Duffel? If you’re shopping online, the...

They may be the height of fashion – but the health risks will bring you back down to earth with a bump. Five-inch heels are becoming the most sought-after shoes on the high street as shoppers take their lead from celebrities such as Victoria Beckham.

Some nice wedding dresses for the ladies to consider if you like red.

Looks PERFECT!

Video link: http://youtu.be/poNilLyCyCs Watch the video all the way. He says some surprising things on gender for a gay man. And he actually notes the differences between men and women, and gender integrity and to accept responsibility for that. And Jennifer Ewing is smoking hot!

At the climax of World War II, a symbol of hate — a Nazi flag — was transformed into a dazzling red dress for a female secret agent. A gift from a lost love, today it is helping brighten the twilight of her life. When 91-year-old Beatrice Jackman put the dress up for auction recently, her colorful background at last came to light, along with the fascinating story behind a romantic memento she had carefully preserved for 66 years. And all because she needed a big-screen TV. Symbol of hate, symbol of love The saga of the dress begins at...

President Barack Obama gives his wife Michelle a kiss on the cheek before she takes the stage at the Clinton Global Initiative on Thursday (September 23) in New York City. “At the end of each day, it is Michelle, her moral voice, her moral center, that cuts through all the noise in Washington and reminds me why I’m there in the first place,” Barack said before the First Lady took the stage.

The eyes of the fashion world have now turned from London to the catwalks of Milan. But how much do the shows influence what real people wear? The catwalk season is in full swing. New York and London have strutted their stuff and the spotlight is now on Milan. Hundreds of buyers and journalists have descended on the Italian fashion capital where they will be scrambling for a look at what the world's top designers have created. The buyers will pick the items they want for their boutiques and the press will pick their trend selections. They will also book...

A fashion designer may have found the answer to gun violence — stylish clothing for men and women that is completely bulletproof. God help us. Designer Miguel Caballero first developed his line in his native Colombia, where wealthy clients needed protection from Medellin drug cartel hit men, but didn't like the bulky look of bulletproof vests. After all, if you must run away from a shooter, why not do it in couture? … Celebrities were the first to wear his impermeable apparel. Caballero made Sean (Diddy) Combs a bulletproof white dinner jacket, tunics for the Wu Tang Clan and a...

NEW YORK: US President Barack Obama arrived here Monday ahead of the UN General Assembly, this year overshadowed by a Palestinan bid for UN membership of a Palestinian state.

Kelvin Quinnine has shivered through more San Francisco nights than he can count, fog biting through whatever worn-out sleeping bag he pitched onto the sidewalk. He stood last week on Ellis Street with his latest bag wrapped around him. When a young woman wearing a bizarrely baggy coat walked up to him, he cocked his gray-bearded head sideways.

First lady Michelle Obama says she hopes to still be playing tennis when she's 90. Obama visited the U.S. Open for the first time Friday to promote her campaign against childhood obesity and praise the U.S. Tennis Association's initiative to build kid-sized courts. Obama played doubles against Serena Williams, clocked 55 mph on her serve and even did some hula-hooping ...

German fashion powerhouse Karl Lagerfeld likes Michelle Obama, but, he says, her style just isn’t up to par. In a recent interview with USA Today, the Chanel designer echoed “Sex and the City” stylist Patricia Field in saying that Ms. Obama’s fashion picks could use some help. “I love Madame Obama, but not in terms of clothes,” Lagerfeld told the publication. Luckily for Ms. Obama, Lagerfeld complimented the first lady’s “strong” face. “I like her face, the cleverness of her face. Her face is stronger than the clothes,” Lagerfeld said. Lagerfeld is certainly not the first fashion big name to...

Legendary French designer Coco Chanel spied for the Nazis during the German occupation of France in World War II, according to a new book. Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War, by Hal Vaughan, expands on long-standing evidence that the iconic designer had a double life and was the lover of a spy, Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage. "Sleeping with the Enemy pieces together how Coco Chanel became a German Intelligence operative; how and why she was enlisted in a number of spy missions; how she escaped arrest in France after the war," New York publishers Knopf said. Vaughan's...

[Warning: Note the image above of dead birds may offend sensitive vegetarians.] “I don’t agree with people that say English food is no good. I like wild game….and I like the pub feel,” reveals Hollywood actor, Nicolas Cage. “I put it way up high on my list.” Of course, the pro-hunting Country Side Alliance, UK, has been promoting the joys of game, for years now. And, thanks to their Game-to-Eat campaign, wild foods are very much in fashion. Here is one argument to start with: your health. As the Country Side Alliance asserts, “Game is wild, natural and free range...

Tim Gunn criticized Hillary Clinton's fashion choices During a recent appearance on "Lopez Tonight," the fashion guru criticized the Secretary of State's style choices. "Why must she dress that way? I think she's confused about her gender [with] all these big, baggy, menswear tailored pantsuits," Gunn told host George Lopez. "No I'm serious. [They're] unflattering," he added. And in another quip directed towards Clinton, Lopez asked Gunn how the Secretary of State could "hide her cankles." "Well, if her pants didn't stop an inch above her ankle, she could hide the cankle!" he answered.

In their quest to prevail, politicians spar with strategic sound bites, then pray for good press. But what about their sartorial demeanor? Canny politicos should also be aware that a power suit renaissance is under way. The inspiration? We’re talking old school suits with vests, pleated pants, substantial tie and wide lapels once sported by the likes of Michael Douglas as he portrayed Gordon Gekko in the original “Wall Street,” movie. Yes, in 1987.

Michele Bachmann, looked polished and elegant as she announced her campaign to be the Republicans' Presidential candidate today. And while there is no denying that the Minnesota Congresswoman, 55, is an attractive woman, it appears she has stepped up her game when it comes to her style and beauty routine. As she launched her bid this morning, it was clear that her pale grey dress and matching jacket had been carefully considered. --snip-- Mr Mattie compared Mrs Bachmann to fellow Republican Sarah Palin, whose distinctive personal style came under heavy scrutiny in 2008 during her campaign for U.S. Vice President....

Developing...

Race goers wearing ornate hats arrive for the third day, traditionally known as Ladies Day, of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Thursday, June, 16, 2011. Ascot is celebrating its 300 years of horse racing at the Royal Racecourse, that began with Britain's Queen Anne spotting an open heath suitable for racing, the first race run in August 1711, with a prize of some 100 guineas.

A college football player was pulled off a flight and arrested because he was wearing his pants too low. Deshon Marman, 20, a University of New Mexico player was boarding a flight back to college yesterday when he was stopped because his pants were ‘below his buttocks, but above the knees, and his boxer shorts were showing’. Police said the man who was flying back to Alberqurque from home in San Francisco, California, was told by a U.S. Airways employee to pull up his pants, but he refused. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004270/Deshon-Marman-pulled-flight-arrested-wearing-baggy-pants.html#ixzz1PXq5KB9U

Michelle Obama cannot seem to make her mind up if she likes expensive designers or cheap chains. Also known for wearing H&M and Target, the First Lady boarded a helicopter on Friday sporting a 'Impressionist Print Draped Dress' from Gap, retailing at $29.99. Her choice of cheaper chain clothing during times of recession makes endears her to a cash-strapped public. Not one to stick to a genre, she is also often spotted in very expensive attire from designers such as Alexander McQueen and Tracy Feith. Leaving the White House bound for presidential retreat Camp David, the style-queen wore the

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Army is abandoning the beret, after a failed 10-year experiment. The black beret, which proved deeply unpopular with American soldiers, will be replaced by a patrol cap for everyday wear, US Army spokesman Colonel Tom Collins said Monday. The move came after outgoing Army chief of staff, General Martin Dempsey, asked the army's sergeant major "to go out and talk to soldiers across the force and see what was on their minds," Collins told AFP. "One of the things that soldiers consistently brought up was the desire to wear the patrol cap as part of...

Here is an AFA action alert Old Navy selling 'gay' shirts - donates profits to activists Old Navy selling 'gay' shirts - donates profits to activists How would you feel if you knew that 10% of your Old Navy purchase would be donated directly to a homosexual activist organization? http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147507169

Jim Bernstein, the manager of a fishing supply shop, was warned that hair stylists would come banging on his door, but he didn't listen. Sure enough, less than 24 hours later, a woman walked into the Eldredge Bros. Fly Shop in the US and made a beeline towards a display of hackles - the long, skinny rooster feathers fishermen use to make lures. "She brought a bunch up to the counter and asked if I could get them in pink," he said. "That's when I knew." He learnt that fishing supply shops across the US were at the centre of...

Original title: The Duchess factor: How Catherine now shifts clothes faster than fashion's '$3billion woman' Michelle Obama ------------------------------- As if we needed any further proof that the new Duchess of Cambridge has serious fashion clout, it appears she has now surpassed Michelle Obama in selling power. Since her engagement to Prince William last year, everything Catherine wears now sells out in minutes, rivalling only the U.S. First Lady's impact on the industry. The Reiss Shola dress she wore to meet Mrs Obama last week was the strongest example to date. As soon as pictures of the Duchess appeared online, the...

LONDON – There weren't any hugs, like last time, but U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama shared a warm handshake with the British queen and gained more fans during her state visit to the U.K. Mrs. Obama captured the nation's attention in 2009 when she affectionately put her arm on Queen Elizabeth II's back in a minor breach of protocol. On Tuesday, Mrs. Obama started the day off when she briefly shook the queen's hand at a Buckingham Palace ceremony. Her three dress changes throughout the day were closely watched by the British media — the BBC, among others, spent...

America's most powerful couple just met England's most popular. The British papers are already worried Princess Kate is looking too thin and Michelle Obama's floral dress was a bit too similar to the Queen's.

Ireland put on a traditional welcome for the Obamas today - a windy one. The President of the United States breezed in today on the first stop of his four-country, Six-day European tour. Yet America's First Lady still appeared taken by surprise by the weather which even her industrial-strength hairspray failed to counter. In fact, as she stepped on to the tarmac at Dublin airport, she looked briefly like one of the Jedward twins, who represented Ireland so boisterously at the Eurovision Song Contest.

In an interview last year, Ashley Olsen said that she would love to see Michelle Obama wear one of her designs. Now, it seems, her dream has come true. The U.S. First Lady wore a skirt from The Row, the label Miss Olsen, 24, designs with her twin sister Mary-Kate, on The View last week. Mrs Obama, who appeared on the show with Jill Biden, teamed the pale grey pleated Evelyn skirt, worth $1,170 with a cream V-neck and kitten-heel shoes. Though expensive, the President's wife's choice represents a support of American industry, as all of the Olsen twins' designs...

Even as NATO steps up airstrikes on his Tripoli compound, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi reportedly has bigger things on his mind... like fashion. A New York Times writer recently received a strange, possibly fake letter from a man claiming to be an aid to Libya's Minister for Culture and Ethnic Affairs. According to the letter, Libyan officials have been trying to arrange a 2013 retrospective of Gadhafi's best fashions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While it seems unlikely that will happen, there's no question that the African despot has a unique style, one that's been likened to "Lacroix, Liberace,...

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (R) gives encouragement to her daughter Malia Obama (3rd R) and other children during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House April 25, 2011 in Washington, DC. About 30,000 people are expected to attend the 133-year-old tradition of rolling colored eggs down the White House lawn.Michelle Obama was a floral beauty on Easter in a safflower print day dress. The Tracy Reese design was perfect for the lovely spring day. Michelle opted to wear flats. Her hair was styled back in a retro updo.

Rumor has it that Kate Middleton has picked British designer-to-the-stars Phillipa Lepley to create her wedding gown. Romantic flowers, majestic ballgowns and twinkly vintage lace are the way a British magazine described Phillipa Lepley’s 2011 bridal collection. With British bookmakers betting on Lepley, what will the London-based haute couture designer create for Middleton when she marries Prince William? “Kate will want to look drop dead elegant yet not over the top,” a fashion source says. So far, Lepley have made no comment, but Brits are abuzz over the designer who may create the wedding gown for England’s future princess.

There's no question that Michelle Obama is a First Lady with style. Check out some of her memorable ensembles.

Fashion is a progressive industry that changes with the wind and the tolerance of the people. Though women continually stretch the boundaries in the name of style, men’s fashion trends commonly remain in the safe zone – most of the time. Occasionally, however, men become courageous en masse, and the end results were typically disastrous. Below are notable trends that came and went (some stayed longer than others), and we’re all wiser for having learned from them.

If 10-year-olds can't drive to the mall or earn a paycheck, how are they ending up clad in push-up bras, tube tops and low-riding jeans? It's parents' fault, says CNN contributor LZ Granderson, who chides moms and dads in his column "Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps."

Too many creative types these days conduct themselves like toddlers without the diaper, unless wearing one is the new thing in fashion. Hey did I write that to segue into how fashion designers are starting to fetishize burkas? Why yes I did! How quaint is that, Europe starts moving to ban them and that turns it into the forbidden fruit of high fashion. Anyone who has even seen a glimpse of a fashion show knows modesty at any level is not exactly the goal of the runway. So this will present an interesting conundrum because making burkas sexy is...

For increasing numbers of young college leavers, getting a foot on the career ladder means taking an unpaid internship, with no guarantee of a permanent job at the end. Is this all about opportunity or exploitation? Five graduates tell Jane Phillimore their experiences

Many Americans were disappointed when President Obama devoted a Saturday radio address to a celebration of the progress of women in society. Most of us were more interested to hear about the progress (or lack of it) in dealing with the crisis that threatens to become a new war in Libya. The president was excited about a new White House report on the status of women, the first such report in 48 years. John F. Kennedy assigned Eleanor Roosevelt to explore the subject on that occasion. Obama told us that women earn more high school diplomas and college degrees than...

Michelle Obama on Wednesday weighed in on the one-year anniversary of the health care law her husband signed into law, arguing that the changes will help parents raise a generation of “happy and healthy kids.” Sharing a “personal” story in an op-ed on Yahoo’s Shine website, Obama said that as a working mom in her pre-White House days, she had “the best intentions” to feed her daughters Malia and Sasha healthy food on a budget, but admitted that “sometimes pizza or the drive-thru were inevitable.”