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WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. first lady Michelle Obama wore a white, floor-length gown by Taiwan-born designer Jason Wu to balls celebrating her husband's inauguration Tuesday. Barack Obama, the 44th president, looked dapper in what Usmagazine.com said was a custom tuxedo made by Chicago's Hart Schaffner Marx that was accented by a white tie.
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The Obamas reportedly were expected to attend 10 official inauguration night celebrations.
Historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony told The Dallas Morning News Michelle Obama's ensemble selection was "a balancing act between being a queen and a commoner."
"The inaugural gown is a metaphor for the first lady role," Anthony added. "They reflect around the world an image of our country."
"Michelle Obama once more does something new and fresh (by) working with an emerging fashion star and turning Jason Wu overnight into a household name," Us Weekly fashion director Sasha Charnin Morrison said of the first lady's choice to wear a single-shouldered frock Tuesday night. "This type of dress shape/silhouette is something that's completely unexpected. (It's) vibrant and aspirational, full and gorgeous. No one else in the past would have been this striking, this ravishing or been able to pull this look off. She's bringing sexy back."
Usmagazine.com said Barack Obama's wife wore a gold sheath and matching jacket by Cuban-born designer Isabel Toledo for the ceremony in which the new president took his oath of office earlier in the day. The first lady also wore green gloves from J. Crew, while her daughters donned coats from the popular store to stave off the winter chill.
