Michelle Obama's Expensive Fashion Faux Pas

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

04 May 2009 05:46 AM

What do you usually wear when you volunteer to serve meals at your local food bank?

If you are First Lady Michelle Obama, you throw on a pretty cardigan from J.Crew and some designer satin sneakers.

Sounds innocent enough, right. Well, the moderately priced sweater is not what has people the world over buzzing this morning. Rather, it's Michelle's satin stomps that have tongues wagging.

Obama's Lanvin designed kicks retail for a jaw-dropping $540, and as critics were quick to point out, the shoes are "certainly not a reflection of the poor economy."

The high fashion footwear has a loyal following in Hollywood. Talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and rapper Kayne West are among the many celebrities, who own several pairs of the denim and satin sneakers.

According to the New York Daily News, the first lady, who has received raves for her impeccable fashion sense, likely got her sneakers through Ikram, the Chicago retailer that usually outfits her.

There's no arguing that Michelle Obama is a fashionable first lady, but to wear sneakers that cost more than most people's entire wardrobes, to a place where patrons don't even make enough money to maintain a roof over their heads, some say is tacky with a capital T.

So, they're not Keds. That matters little to fashion magazine editors who have been closely following the first lady's clothing choices since her husband took office in January.

Leading fashion editors could careless how much Obama's sneakers cost; rather they're more appalled by what she paired them with.

"Quite honestly, the usually well-styled Michelle didn't match," noted one fashion expert. "While her over-priced designer sneakers were gray and pink, her sweater was a gold argyle style. A definite fashion faux pas."

Gray and pink satin shoes paired with a gold sweater? Oh, the horror?

What do you make of Michelle Obama's choice to wear high-fashion shoes to a low-income Washington neighborhood to feed homeless people?

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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