Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style

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Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style (eBook) Pub. Date: 5/4/2011 Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
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Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style Pub. Date: 2/8/2011 Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

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Overview

In many ways the world has never seen a First Lady like Michelle Obama. From the precedent of her race to the singularity of her style, she has been the object of immense fascination. What she says, what she does, and not least, what she wears, is scrutinized around the world.

Writing at the crossroads of politics and fashion, Kate Betts explains why Michelle Obama’s style matters, and how she has helped liberate a generation of women from the false idea that style and substance are mutually exclusive. Following the transformation of Mrs. Obama from her early days on the campaign trail to her first state dinner at the White House, Betts, a longtime fashion journalist and former editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar, reminds us that while style can be expressed in what you wear, it is inextricably bound up in who you are and what you believe in. In a smart, breezy voice backed by extensive interviews and historical research, Betts shows how Michelle Obama’s bold confidence and self-possession have made her into an icon and transformed the way women see themselves, their roles, and their own style.

With two hundred color photographs, original designer sketches, and historical images, Everyday Icon is not only a lavish tour of our First Lady’s style statements, but also a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of how she created her image and, more important, what that image says about American style today. Much has been written about Michelle Obama, but Kate Betts places her in a broader cultural and historical context; Everyday Icon is the definitive book on how a working mother of two became an unforgettable, global style icon.

Kate Betts

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Betts, a Time style and design contributor has been an avid observer of first lady Michelle Obama’s style since she first stepped into the limelight. More than a fashion handbook, this book serves as an exploration of the societal and political implications of Mrs. Obama’s style, a pondering of why style matters, and an argument for the notion that “tyle is a part of the content of one’s character.” Betts parses the first lady’s choices of clothing (cardigans and floral dresses rather than navy blue pants suits) as well as her persona, from her warmth and openness to her decision to let cameras capture her hula-hooping on the White House lawn. Betts also takes a fascinating, well-researched look at first ladies throughout history (Mary Todd Lincoln was criticized for her fashionistaesque extravagance) and muses on the ways in which they were a reflection of women’s roles during their years in the White House. With its fine mix of deconstruction and designer interviews, well-sourced research and sumptuous photos, Betts has created a book that is eye and brain candy alike. Photos. (Feb.)

Library Journal

Betts, former editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar, convincingly portrays the First Lady as an everyday fashion icon. She compares Obama's sense of style to previous Presidential wives and discusses how First Ladies cultivate their looks and unwittingly influence politics. What distinguishes Obama is her willingness to step outside of the box. Whether or not she is wearing traditional or more casual wear, she radiates confidence and commands respect. The author addresses critics of the First Lady's softer, feminine looks, quoting Dianne Feinstein: "toughness does not have to come in a pinstriped suit." Clearly, Betts supports Obama's sense of style, and she backs up her stance with quotes from fashion experts, substantive text, and generous photographs of the First Lady.Verdict This book is written in a chatty style that will appeal to the casual reader but has enough information for fashion students. With so many people interested in the First Lady's wardrobe, it should have ample readership. [Four-city tour.]—Ajoke Kokodoko, Oakland P.L.

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Kirkus Reviews

A scintillating fashion biography of Michelle Obama's inimitable style and its far-reaching influence.

Former Harper's Bazaar editor in chief and current Time contributor Betts focuses on how the First Lady's style has helped her achieve such iconic status. Brimming with more than 200 color photographs, the book demonstrates how Obama has repeatedly pushed the envelope of fashion and convention. Changing from couture by lesser-known designers to Chucks and a cardigan without batting an eye, Obama presents herself in a way that is at once both trendsetting and common. Beyond the analysis of her uncannily self-possessed style, Betts provides an intriguing contextualization of Obama within the historical framework of other groundbreaking First Ladies—Dolley Madison, Mary Todd Lincoln, Grace Coolidge, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie O, Hillary Clinton—as well as within the current postfeminist moment in American culture. In a country founded on the joint values of relative equality and freedom to celebrate individuality, the question of how onechooses to dress has always taken on a political charge. In the role of the president's wife, Betts argues, those comfortable with their own style have made the greatest impact. For Obama, who was thrust even more under the microscope as the first African-American First Lady, her conduct carries global influence but especially hits home with American women. "It's almost as if she is taking Hillary Clinton's intelligence but dressing it in Jackie Kennedy's clothes," writes Betts. "In many ways she is reshaping the feminist dream, correcting its oversights, compensating for its defects." Though her argument rests on a number of dichotomies—fashion vs. style, style vs. substance—and the author clearly champions her subject, her book should have widespread appeal.

A sharp, lavishly illustrated biography of one of the most influential figures in refashioning the roles of women.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780307591432
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Publication date: 2/8/2011
Pages: 256
Sales rank: 200,390
Product dimensions: 7.40 (w) x 10.10 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

KATE BETTS has been covering the world of style for twenty years, most recently as a contributing editor at Time and also as the editor of Time Style & Design. The youngest person ever to serve as editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar, she was also the fashion news director at Vogue and the Paris bureau chief of Women’s Wear Daily. Betts lives in New York City with her husband, the writer Chip Brown, and their two children.

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Pandoragloss

Posted February 12, 2011

more from this reviewer

Total Class

She makes me proud to be a woman. Her style is first class without being over the top.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 28, 2012

PEACE & LOVE

Michelle Obama has the BEST style ive seen on any first lady!!!! If you think its not a real book thts you opinion & your fault you bought!!! OBAMAS ROCK... LOVE THEM
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Anonymous

Posted May 21, 2011

Meh

Just a love ode to Michelle Obama - my suggestion would be to buy her biography if you're a fan but in any case skip this book.
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Anonymous

Posted April 23, 2011

Recommended

This book is about style and the first ladies. Very engaging and informative. Mrs. Obama is truly reflective of the American woman. She is intelligent,has class, loves her family and represents the American women of today. I would recommend this book to all women. Even women who are republicans. Well written. This book should be read by anyone who is interested in being a designer.
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Anonymous

Posted February 28, 2011

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Posted March 25, 2012

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