Michelle Obama’s style

The Times fashion critic, Booth Moore, called the straight-from-the-spring-runway Narciso Rodriguez dress that Michelle Obama wore on election night (which she paired with a black cardigan) “a major statement, the patriotic red bursting out of black like a firecracker out of the night sky.”

For inauguration day 2009, Michelle Obama chose an Isabel Toledo lace-over-wool dress and coat ensemble in a retro “Mad Men” silhouette and strikingly optimistic shade of yellow that fell somewhere between lemon and freshly churned butter.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the Obama Homes States Ball on Jan. 20, 2009. She’s wearing a one-shouldered, white silk chiffon gown embellished with organza flowers with Swarovski crystal centers by Jason Wu. Rounding out the outfit were Jimmy Choo shoes and diamond earrings, bracelets, and a ring designed for her by Loree Rodkin.

For the state dinner honoring Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, FLOTUS chose a full-length strapless gown in navy-blue silk with a yellow and red floral print by Taiwan-born, Canada-raised designer Jason Wu.

Michelle Obama name-checked J.Crew on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” pointing out that she had bought her $148 Pembridge-dot pencil skirt and $89.99 color-block cardigan online. Both styles sold out on J.Crew’s website the next day.

For the Sept. 25, 2015, state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first lady went with a black silk crepe mermaid gown by Vera Wang, an American designer whose parents had immigrated from China.

For the first state dinner of the Obama administration, honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur, the first lady wore a Champagne-colored strapless gown gleaming with silver floral appliqué by Mumbai-born, New York based, Indian American designer Naeem Khan.

Michael Kors was one of the American designers well-represented in Michelle Obama’s wardrobe. Here she attends the 2015 State of the Union address in a gray skirt suit by Kors.

Arm-baring looks were a FLOTUS favorite. In this photo she’s speaking during the Fashion Education Workshop at the White House on Oct. 8, 2014.

For a state dinner honoring French President Francois Hollande, FLOTUS wore a Carolina Herrera gown with a black lace top and full taffeta skirt in periwinkle bue.

For a breakfast with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s wife, Sarah, Michelle Obama wore mint-green version of the J. Crew Pembridge-dot pencil skirt and a crystal-studded cardigan.

Michelle Obama, in a burnt-orange Isaac Mizrahi ensemble, stands with Gursharan Kaur, wife of the Indian prime minister, during an arrival ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

The first lady wears a lilac Anne Klein New York number to afternoon tea in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 18, 2009.

Who says it always has to be a designer gown? The first lady wears Talbots to an event celebrating classical music in the East Room of the White House.  (Tim Sloan / AFP/Getty Images)

Mrs. Obama made the mixing of high and low a wardrobe signature. Here she belts a blue J. Crew coat over a Maria Pinto dress for the 2009 Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

The sapphire-blue Peter Soronen one-shoulder gown worn to the state dinner held for Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Margarita Zavalar.

Mrs. Obama, wearing Azzedine Alaia, smiles from behind bullet-proof glass on the balcony of the Grand Hotel after waving to the crowds who had gathered outside for the traditional Nobel Peace Prize torchlight procession in Oslo, Norway.  (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

First Lady Michelle Obama turned to Jason Wu -- one of her go-to designers -- for this detailed black sleeveless dress she wore to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Phoenix Awards on Sept. 26, 2009.

First Lady Michelle and President Barack Obama pose with Oprah Winfrey in the Blue Room of the White House during a taping of the ABC special, “Christmas at the White House.” Michelle wore a purple velvet Azzedine Alaïa number.

The Obamas -- she in Thakoon -- welcome Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as he arrives for the G-20 summit dinner in Pittsburgh in September 2009.  (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press)

Michelle Obama in a polka-dotted Diane von Furstenberg dress at the Pittsburgh International Airport in September 2009, before her husband attends the G20 Summit in town.

The first lady wore a shiny red Michael Kors number when her husband spoke at the 64th session of the General Assembly at United Nations headquarters.

The first lady turned out to be a big fan of the floral print. Here the Obamas arrive for the Medal of Honor ceremony for U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Jared C. Monti at the White House Rose Garden.

Michelle Obama paired a patterned skirt with a yellow top (yellow being one of her signature hues) and a turquoise cardigan for an event supporting Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid on Sept. 16, 2009.

Michelle Obama, wearing a pale blue Azzedine Alaia gown, arrives at the Nobel banquet in Oslo.  (Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images)

The first lady, wearing a Moschino skirt and jacket -- pinned with a Sonia Rykiel pansy brooch -- stands with Sen. Edward Kennedy’s widow, Victoria, during President Obama’s speech on healthcare to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill.  (Mike Theiler / EPA)

Michelle Obama wore purple Isaac Mizrahi when she cut the ribbon for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s renovated American Wing.

When it comes to color, Michelle Obama gravitated toward shades of yellow. Here she speaks at the 10th Design Awards luncheon in the East Room of the White House on July 24, 2009.

The Obamas wave from Air Force One before they leave Maryland’s Andrews Air Force Base for a trip to Moscow. The boldly patterned floral dress and yellow cardigan were familiar elements of her look.

Mrs. Obama chats with photographer Dough Mills of the New York Times during the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner in May. That hot pink number she’s wearing? It’s Michael Kors -- one of the labels frequently worn by the first lady.

On a 2011 trip to South Africa, Obama paired a J. Crew vest and trousers with a Kitenge print blouse from ASOS Africa, a collection from U.K. online retailer ASOS that helps fund sustainable business-building in underprivileged African communities.

In this May 24, 2011, photo with Queen Elizabeth II, President Barack Obama and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace, Michelle Obama is wearing a white gown by American designer Tom Ford, who has a home in London.

Upon landing in Essex, England, on March 31, 2009, the first lady steps out in a chartreuse dress designed by Jason Wu, a name that became familair to FLOTUS fashion followers.

The first lady wore a 1950s-style dress by Tracy Feith to the National Prayer Service on Barack Obama’s first day in office.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Michelle Obama in a Maria Pinto teal sheath dress ($795) and starburst brooch at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 25, 2008.

First Lady Michelle Obama wearing an emerald green, off-the-shoulder Marchesa gown at the Kennedy Center Honors awards ceremony in Washington on Dec. 8, 2013.