At the Democratic National Convention, the former First Lady showed what presidential style could look like if she were to run for office

Michelle Obama taking to the stage at the DNC. Photo: USA Today

Michelle Obama has not been much in the news lately. It has been relatively hushed post-White House years for her. But with her recent appearance at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), she is making the headlines again. And not only with her typically inspiring eloquence, but also with her intriguing elegance that had much of the Internet talking, and Googling to determine who she wore. Ms Obama appeared on stage to immense cheers in a suit, only that it was not a suit in the vein of the other DNC participants’—Kamala Harris’s khaki or Nancy Pelosi’s lilac or Oprah Winfrey’s grape, all typical, even if stodgy, smartness to project political savvy. Or, modern women of power.

Ms Obama’s choice of a suit in surprisingly conservative black (some news report describe it as navy) was perhaps to deliberately contrast the expected chromatic softness or assertiveness of the other women who took to the stage. Her anthracite, as it turned out, was rather neutral. But it was really the top half of her ensemble that fascinated attendees and those of us who watched the live broadcast. It was a sleeveless jacket! When the camera finally closed in on her, we saw that the jacket had traditional notched lapels, except that they did not run above the button(s) and under the collar. Instead, the pair crisscrossed close to the neck and ended under the arm. How did she wear the jacket (over the indistinct inner garment)? This was deconstructed, but not quite since it was really constructed, too.

On Michelle Obama: were they lapels that crisscrossed her upper chest? Screen shot: CNBC/YouTube

As we listened to her, we paid considereable attention to the top (we could not get our eyes off it). The slant of the shoulder hugged beautifully, without a hint of a divot or bunching where the neck meets the shoulders; the slope of the shoulder sensationally accommodated Ms Obama’s built. And what was also surprising—the rejection of obvious formality in the unfinished armhole. It was bold enough to be sleeveless, but extra points go to the edge— barely covering the beginning of her arms—left unstitched. In fact, if you looked close enough, you would have seen that the fabric was beginning to fray. It was as if, in a last-minute act of defiance, Ms Obama ripped off the sleeves.

The suit as it turned out was from the hitherto less-known New York label, Monse, founded in 2015 by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, both once co-helmed Oscar de la Renta, where they began their design careers. Their own label is, unlike Oscar de la Renta, veered towards refined tailoring and definitely deconstruction. In their brand profile, the duo states that Monse “is a line for modern women who seek to stand out from the crowd without compromising her effortless demeanor”. Were they referring to the former FLOTUS? It is truly laudable that Michelle Obama, wearing that Monse suit at the DNC, seemed to be saying that smart for women who are 60 need not inevitably be frumpy. She opened her speech, saying “something magically wonderful is in the air.” It should be added, spectacularly stylish, too.