Isn’t It Iconic…Don’t You Think?

A guest post by Kellie Fitzgerald.

Lately, I am really into the cinched waist. I love belts around dresses, a belt over a simple tank top, and belted cardigan sweaters (yes, sweaters in the summer – since most commercial buildings insist on an air conditioning setting right around 60 degrees).

Last weekend while visiting Chicago, my Mom commented on my new-found obsession with belts. She said, “you know this is because of Michelle Obama, she influenced the resurgence of belts.”

While I still hate admitting when my Mom is right, I do agree that our lovely First Lady (cue JT) is bringing belted back.

Whether it is with her clear plastic belt or her black leather studded belt (my personal favorite), we almost always see Mrs. Obama with a cinched waist.

I am certainly not the first person to notice Michelle Obama’s wardrobe, or even her belts for that matter. There are entire blogs dedicated to following who, what, and where Mrs. O is wearing. So why, when I have an opportunity to write something original and thought-provoking about style for TJCC, do I default to the attire of the First Lady?

It is simply because, as a lover of fashion and politics, I feel like I am watching fashion history unfold daily right in front of my eyes. And I find it extremely exciting and inspiring.

To be honest, before our lovely First Lady came into my life I was starting to get a little discouraged that I hadn’t yet found my style icon. Sure, there were plenty of trendsetters who inspired me for periods of time (Kate Moss, Madonna, Heidi Klum, JLo, SJP) and many designers who made beautiful things that I loved (Dianne Von Furstenberg, Nanette Lepore, all of the Italians)- but there was no one person that I could deem iconic.

I also started to feel like mainstream fashion was becoming difficult to relate to (perhaps that’s just me showing my age). Fourteen year olds already know who Christian Louboutin is because they are putting together couture ensembles on Polyvore using an app on their iPhone which they keep inside of their gigantic Juicy Couture bag.

(By the way, when I was fourteen a splurge was a logo t-shirt from The Gap and the biggest fashion brand that I knew was Liz Claiborne.)

Hannah Montana and Taylor Swift have a combined age of 34 and they are walking the red carpet in couture gowns and borrowed jewels that most women won’t get to wear in a lifetime. Fifty year old women in the suburbs are sporting Ed Hardy tank tops and skinny jeans and celebrating the label “cougar.” Where was elegance, sophistication, femininity, and clean modern classics?

And then came Michelle.

Pairing JCrew with Jimmy Choo, I find her look to be both inspiring and attainable. I often notice her photographed on a multiple-day trip wearing the same pieces in different ways (how realistic of her!). She combines simple, well-tailored pieces with beautiful belts and brooches; bright colors and luxurious fabrics with (gasp!) bare arms and legs.

Looks like I finally got my style icon — and a stack of new belts. That was a cinch.

–

Kellie Fitzgerald is a Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Googler, Fashionista, Dog Lover, & Wannabe Political Pundit.

Kellie previously ran a personal shopping business under the sassy alliteration “Style Savvy”. She secretly wants to be Stacy London from TLC’s “What Not to Wear.” and still does occasional personal shopping and styling on-demand.

You can read more about Kellie and what she’s up to on her blog, Places to Put Stuff.

Tagged as: Fashion and Style, Kellie Fitzgerald