What to Wear to a State Dinner
White House state dinners don’t happen often — this week’s was just the third for U.S. President Barack Obama — and they are formal affairs.
But Wednesday night, Chinese President Hu Jintao did not wear a tuxedo. Instead, he opted for a dark suit and conservative blue tie.
But let’s be fair. Mr. Hu isn’t the first head of state to attend a White House dinner in a regular suit: Jiang Zemin wore an all-black suit with a traditional Mandarin-collar jacket in 1997. And he wasn’t alone Wednesday night, either. Among the other notable attendees not going full formal were former President Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. They all wore tuxedo jackets, but like Mr. Hu, eschewed the bow tie for a long tie.
President Obama wore an elegant dinner jacket; his wife, Michelle, a flowing red dress by Alexander McQueen. And so the picture of the presidential couple with Mr. Hu — in his pragmatic suit and tie, standing alone (his wife stayed behind in China) — made for a visual mismatch: Mr. Hu was outdressed.
I agree that President Obama was well-dressed but Michelle Obama’s dress was a complete fashion faux pas! Everything was WRONG. The entire look! Who are the stylists and how much are they getting paid??? Please do not compare her to a former First Lady of exquisite taste who was a Fashion Icon. That is just cruel and inappropriate as she is not here to defend herself! Not to mention that Jackie Kennedy Onassis was a size 2 or 4! Tremendous difference! My name for Michelle is the First Lady of Fashion Faux Pas!