First lady Michelle Obama has spent the weekend hosting the wives of NATO leaders in D.C.and Chicago — while looking stunning to boot. After feting the wives of G8 chiefs at the White House in a beautiful purple dress, Michelle flew to the Windy City with the president wearing “an olive hued wrap top paired with a printed skirt,” according to the Mrs-O.com blog.
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On Sunday, Mrs. Obama donned “a cream hued dress with pleat and seam detailing at the neckline” according to the blog that obsessively details her sartorial choices. The first lady paired this with an architectural matching blazer.
The latest NATO summit began on Sunday afternoon in Chicago, during which world leaders discussed pressing issues such as the war in Afghanistan and the world economic crisis. The first lady took this opportunity to escort six wives of these prominent dignitaries on a tour of her “home town” of Chicago’s South Side.
As her husband deliberated over international affairs, Michelle promoted American values on a tour of the working class neighborhood that helped groom her, including an outing to the Gary Komer Youth Center.
“Obama, whose childhood home was about 1 mile from the center, led a tour that included Albanian first lady Liri Berisha, Croatian first lady Sanja Music Milanovic and Norwegian first lady Ingrid Schulerud,” the Reuters news service reports.
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“I brought them here because I’m so proud of where I grew up, and I wanted to show everyone some of the wonderful things happening on the South Side,” Mrs. Obama said to a group of 200 young people at the center. “You all are the reason why I’m here today, and you’re the reason why I brought these very important ladies from around the world here to this center. I brought them here to see just how amazing you all are. I want them to see you all.”
In addition to inspiring young people to be their best, the first ladies watered plants in the institution’s rooftop garden, watched performances by the kids, and observed the center’s culinary training program. The Gary Komer Youth Center also offers tutoring services among other forms of assistance.
The positive tone of the first ladies’ visit was laced with casual comparisons between Michelle and the new first lady of France, Valerie Trierweiler. The unmarried companion of France’s new president, François Hollande, was depicted during a photo call at the center as “rigid and upright as Mrs Obama leaned in and offered her cheek for an air kiss” by the Daily Mail. The UK paper also compared the shoes, clothing, and heights of the women, in addition to their differences in temperament.
In contrast to this, in an earlier interview Trierweiler graciously offered, “When you say I’m the equivalent of Michelle Obama, I don’t believe my eyes or my ears,” regarding how the press seeks to juxtapose them.
This remark does show that Trierweiler matches Michelle Obama in one regard. She knows how to comport herself with humility and class.
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb