With her third and final Vogue cover as First Lady,
Michelle Obama is offering some parting words on wardrobe and the White House.
Since moving her clothes into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
the 52-year-old lawyer and mother of two has redefined first lady fashion in
her eight years as the Commander-in-Chief's right-hand woman. Between giving
sartorial unknowns a try to making a splash in bold styles, Obama has left
behind a legacy of distinct modern couture—but not without comfort first.
"It all boils down to comfort level: If I'm going
to make you comfortable, then I have to be comfortable first," she said in
the December issue of Vogue. "So my first reaction isn't 'Who made this?'
But 'Let's try it on. What does it look like?...There are definitely designers
that I love, people I love to work with. And who they are as people matters.
Are they good people? Do they treat their staff well? Do they treat my staff
well? Are they young? Can I give them a boost? But! When all of that is equal .
. . is it cute?!"
The candid response is a subtle reminder that the
Chicago native with little political experience before her husband's 2008
election sought out to be a first lady all her own.
"Everything we do is by choice," she said of
the role. "I could have spent eight years doing anything, and at some
level, it would have been fine. I could have focused on flowers. I could have
focused on decor. I could have focused on entertainment. Because any First
Lady, rightfully, gets to define her role. There's no legislative authority;
you're not elected. And that's a wonderful gift of freedom."
With a newly elected replacement and less than three
months until Donald Trump's inauguration, FLOTUS catches herself looking at
daily life with sentimental eyes.
"You know, there are little . . . moments. Even
today I was looking out at this view here...looking out on the South Lawn and
the Washington Monument and it had just rained and the grass was really green
and everything popped a little bit more. It's soooo beautiful. And for that
moment I thought, I'm going to miss waking up to this, having access to this
anytime I want," she told the magazine.
"But on the flip side . . . it's time. I think our
democracy has it exactly right: two terms, eight years. It's enough," she
told the magazine. "The nature of living in the White House is isolating.
And I think Barack [Obama] and I—because we're kind of stubborn—we've
maintained some normalcy, mostly because of the age of our kids. I go out to
dinner with my girlfriends; I go to Sasha's games; Barack has coached a little
basketball with Sasha's team. But at the same time, when you can't walk into
CVS?"
While she may enjoy more leisurely trips to CVS after
Jan. 20, Obama doesn't intend on taking off her civil service hat any time
soon.
"I've never been the former First Lady of the
United States of America before," Obama said. "But I will always be
engaged in some way in public service and public life. The minute I left my
corporate-law firm to work for the city, I never looked back. I've always felt
very alive using my gifts and talents to help other people. I sleep better at
night. I'm happier."
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