US Vogue March 2009 : Michelle Obama by Annie Leibovitz

[rh85]

I'm more excited to see Carla Bruni Sarkozy than Mrs Obama.

me too, I love her and I can't wait to see her pics

 

[duynk88]

the face look not relax. Relax Michelle!

 

[rh85]

As the title suggests, this is US Vogue March 2009, Michelle Obama by Annie Leibovitz. Anything related belongs here. Jackie and all the rest, go elsewhere, guided by our search feature. thank you!

I was writing about Michelle Obama, the subject of the cover, my personal opinion, don't know what was wrong

 

[eternitygoddess]

Yeah, she looks a bit uncomfortable, but, you know, she isn't a model. She hasn't spent her life perfecting how to look in a fashion spread.

Annie Lebovitz is a professional photographer who gets paid big bucks to photograph subjects. One would think she knows how to make her subjects look comfortable.

 

[sethii]

Anna Wintour messed up big time - this could have been one of those iconic magazine covers It's as if she tries to crush the individuality in all the cover subjects. Why is Michelle sitting in this awkward pose in a tightly fitted dress? What does the cover tell us about Michelle apart from how she doesn't like posing? Isn't this the highly educated and accomplished woman who just made history? From the cover it looks like any wealthy american woman. And Michelle's skin doesn't need to be so heavily photoshopped.

 

[MissMagAddict]

source | wwd.com

The worst-kept secret in fashion is out: Vogue’s March issue will indeed feature First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover. Annie Leibovitz photographed Obama at the Hay-Adams Hotel during the presidential inauguration, making her the second First Lady to be a cover subject, following Hillary Rodham Clinton in December 1998, also shot by Leibovitz.

Obama appears in a vibrant pink Jason Wu sheath for her cover turn, the second time she’s chosen to wear Wu for a high-profile public appearance. She chose a long white Wu gown for the inaugural balls on Jan. 20. Incidentally, Wu’s Friday fashion show is already sold out, with editors clamoring to attend the young designer’s event being wait-listed.

“It’s a wonderful achievement for Vogue,” said editor at large André Leon Talley, who interviewed Obama for an hour at the Hay-Adams Hotel a few weeks before the inauguration. Vogue has photographed the new first ladies since 1929, when the first was President Herbert Hoover’s wife, Lou Henry Hoover.

Obama’s cover portrait, said Talley, “absolutely reflects who she is without any questions. There’s such a warmth that she emanates. It’s the warmest cover you’ve seen in a long time on Vogue. Models pose, actresses pose. This is a real woman.”

For the shoot, the First Lady chose her own looks for the shoot, including a black Narciso Rodriguez dress and a J. Crew cardigan, top and skirt ensemble from the fall collection. Photos of her with President Barack Obama from the inauguration ceremonies are also featured.

The story includes interviews with Jill Biden, wife of vice president Joe Biden, and Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser to President Obama. In the article, Talley also reflects on his own encounters with the First Lady at Oprah Winfrey’s home and at a fund-raiser in New York he hosted last summer with Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. The story covers Obama’s role as a mother and her romance with fashion. “I love clothes. First and foremost, I wear what I love,” she said. That includes the red and black Narciso Rodriguez dress with a black cardigan she wore on Election Night, which drew some jeers from the fashion set. “I’m not going to pretend that I don’t care about it,” Obama said of the criticism. “Some will think that a sweater was horrible, [but] I was cold; I needed that sweater!”

 

[The.Rock.Inc.]

a cover so photoshopped and awkward can only be US Vogue, this is what they do, if she's on the cover Vanity Fair it would be different... but they surely don't want it to look like a TIMES cover, so it is understandable that they tried to make her look at ease.

but in the end of the day, it's simply good news that she got the March cover, and she's wearing Jason Wu again

 

[clocked]

shame on whoever chose that as the cover photo. i agree with you guys about her certainly not being ugly - it's like they didn't even try!

 

[Luxx]

I must say, some of the comments about Michelle's physical appearance are rather vitriolic and really bring the level of discussion down a notch. She isn't a model or an actress, her job is not to maintain a certain appearance. The fact that she is stylish - or maintains any interest in fashion whatsoever is almost inconsequential. We've had lots of first ladies who just weren't all that into clothes and that's fine. That Michelle takes an interest - particularly in younger designers is very unique. The fact that the wives of political leaders are especially fashionable at the moment is in and of itself an interesting development.

As for the Jackie O. comparisons I feel they are at this point slightly lazy. Granted, I agree with Spike413, that Michelle has changed what it means to be a first lady when it comes to fashion but I think she's done it in her own way. Too often we look to the past for this sort of borrowed iconography. Such and such is the latter day this - so and so is the new that - on an on. Comparisons like that are incredibly prevalent in magazines and while they can be apt I think the really challenge is defining a person as an individual. Forget what came before - lets talk about what is to come and the impact said individuals have on that future.

 

[kimair]

I must say, some of the comments about Michelle's physical appearance are rather vitriolic and really bring the level of discussion down a notch. She isn't a model or an actress, her job is not to maintain a certain appearance. The fact that she is stylish - or maintains any interest in fashion whatsoever is almost inconsequential. We've had lots of first ladies who just weren't all that into clothes and that's fine. That Michelle takes an interest - particularly in younger designers is very unique. The fact that the wives of political leaders are especially fashionable at the moment is in and of itself an interesting development.

As for the Jackie O. comparisons I feel they are at this point slightly lazy. Granted, I agree with Spike413, that Michelle has changed what it means to be a first lady when it comes to fashion but I think she's done it in her own way. Too often we look to the past for this sort of borrowed iconography. Such and such is the latter day this - so and so is the new that - on an on. Comparisons like that are incredibly prevalent in magazines and while they can be apt I think the really challenge is defining a person as an individual. Forget what came before - lets talk about what is to come and the impact said individuals have on that future.

i totally agree...which is why i am glad in addition to michelle there are features on carla bruni and queen rania, two very stylish political women (albeit for different reasons)

i for one am tired of the jackie o comparisons...
she was one of a kind, like a princess diana or princess grace...
each has forged their own path and redefined what it meant to be a first lady/monarchy, and michelle is also creating her own path...
the constant comparisons in a way dilute who she really is...

is it the best cover pic? no...but haven't we said that about most other vogue covers?
i would have loved to have seen michelle obama by irving penn, as i've grown a bit tired of leibovitz's portraits...
i'm just happy it's her (and not some other powerful--or what vogue deems powerful hollywood player)...

 

[simple_elegance]

i can't wait to see her editorial.

 

[fiqary]

Wow, so disappointed. I was expecting something more classical. Is me or the lighting on her face and the body does not really look the same? I mean her face's shadow looks lighter but her body's shadow looks darker. And her hair! Look like a mess!

And for her face, sorry to say, but she looks kinda jank. Vogue can do so much better tbh. The only thing that I like is the dress and the colors.

 

[RiskyRiksh]

Why is it always the wrong selection of cover picture for US Vogue?
I'm sure they've got the better one. And this one is looking over airbrushed.

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

No disrespect, but Barack on the cover of VF is fine, HE made history. What has Michelle done to get Vogue? Yes, she's the first black first lady, but thats genes and hardly an achievement. For that matter ANY previous first lady....

 

[Street_a_Licious]

go Michelle!

 

[iluvjeisa]

Everything but her face looks good. It's a lovely color combination - very, very flattering and alluring, but that grimace on her cute face is disappointing. I suppose she's not very photogenic, as lovely as she is.

 

[sethii]

What has Michelle done to get Vogue? Yes, she's the first black first lady, but thats genes and hardly an achievement.

Hardly an achievement? Why do you think she's the first?

How about deserving the cover of VOGUE for bringing so much attention to US designers and promoting a very positive image of the US around the world?

 

[cottonmouth13]

its just an average cover. honestly, i thought it was going to be a great cover 'cause you got the first lady as your covergirl for a special issue. i like the setting that was used in the cover. also the dress she's wearing (but i must admit it looks really tight to michelle). what i don't like is her smile. it seems like before annie shot that pose, she thought of not to smile or to smile. for me, i guess it could have been much better and much pleasing to see if she didn't smile.

and wow, not too much text on the cover! that's a miracle. kiddin'.

i'll repeat, its just an average cover (for me).

 

[cottonmouth13]

what i cannot wait for this are the contents!!! who will be the models in the editorials?!?

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

Hardly an achievement? Why do you think she's the first?

Yes i hear ya, but all the achieving was done by Barack. What has SHE done other than marry the guy?

How about deserving the cover of VOGUE for bringing so much attention to US designers and promoting a very positive image of the US around the world?

Positive image is all Barack again. He's the guy we look up to.

again, i have nothing against her. I'd rather see Carla Bruni on the cover like i said before At least she is famous in her own right and not just as Mrs Sarkozy.