44 of Michelle Obama's Most Significant Style Moments

For her appearance at a rally in June 2008, Michelle wore a look that exemplified her signature style from this period. By this point in her husband's campaign, she had shifted away from wearing corporate pantsuits in order to soften her image (she had been perceived by some to be "angry" and "emasculating").

The dress, a sleeveless purple sheath designed by Maria Pinto, was professional, feminine, and sophisticated. Michelle accessorized with a wardrobe staple, her black studded belt by Azzedine Alaïa, and a strand of large pearls from Carolee.

"Every woman I talked to was saying how she has this confidence that is empowered," Mikki Taylor, the former beauty director of Essence magazine, told the New York Times after the rally. "The purple dress, the legs that I have to believe were bare and not wearing the prerequisite suntan stockings, all say, 'I'm here to do business.'"

Just before the election, Michelle was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and wore lovely mustard-colored separates, including a pencil skirt, silk blouse, and cardigan. The host asked if her wardrobe was as expensive as some others that had been reported on in the news (namely, Sarah Palin's).

"I'm guessing about 60 grand? Sixty, 70,000 for that outfit?" Leno asked.

"Actually, this is a J. Crew ensemble," she answered. And, in fact, every piece of her outfit, except for the shoes (Jimmy Choo), were from J. Crew. "We ladies, we know with J. Crew, you can get some good stuff online. When you don't have time, you've got to click."

"Lemongrass" is what designer Isabel Toledo called the color of Michelle's inauguration day dress and matching wool coat, which, in its shimmering yellow-green, was meant to symbolize rebirth. "I wanted to pick a very optimistic color, that had sunshine," Toledo told the New York Times. "I wanted her to feel charmed, and in that way would charm everybody else."

Boutique owner Ikram Goldman, a fashion adviser of Michelle's, reached out to several designers for looks that could work for the inauguration. Toledo's design won out. (The leather gloves were from J. Crew.) To make it, Toledo rush-ordered the lace and used four layers of fabric to keep Michelle warm, writes Kate Betts in her book Everyday Icon. "I knew it was right," Toledo said. "I knew it. I knew better than she probably, because I took into consideration so many things that nobody else would."

For the inauguration day balls, Michelle wore an ivory silk-chiffon one-shoulder gown designed by a relatively unknown designer named Jason Wu. He was just 26 years old at the time. Wu, who became famous overnight, created a dress that had thousands of organza flowers and millions of Swarovski crystals sewn onto it by hand.

It might have seemed a conventional or boring choice for any other fancy party. For an inauguration gown, it couldn't have been more out of the box. The previous two first ladies had worn long-sleeved dresses — Hillary Clinton wore blue, then gold, while Laura Bush went with red, then silver. By contrast, Michelle's choice was less fussy, more innocent, and much like the fresh new era she represented.

"Should Michelle Cover Up?" asked the Times's Maureen Dowd in a column. "Let's face it," she wrote, "The only bracing symbol of American strength right now is the image of Michelle Obama's sculpted biceps." Dowd called out her colleague David Brooks, who said of Michelle, "She's made her point. Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning." He went on, in case there was any doubt about his feelings: "Sometimes I think half the reason Obama ran for president is so Michelle would have a platform to show off her biceps."

The shock dissipated and Michelle continued to wear sleeveless clothing throughout her eight years as first lady.

Of course, this moment is famous not so much for the clothes Michelle wore but what she did while wearing them: She put her arm around Queen Elizabeth's back in a quasi-embrace. The gesture, which would have seemed so natural coming from tactile Michelle, was actually a violation of royal protocol.

"But the Queen made the first move! This is the most astounding thing, because the Queen is not known for being touchy-feely." said the author Charles Moseley on CNN. "The big deal is that the Queen is an almost sacred person. In monarchies, there's a sacredness that surrounds the sovereign."

Mary Tomer wrote in her book Mrs. O that the cotton Sophie Theallet shirtdress Michelle wore to dedicate a new bust of Sojourner Truth at the Capitol building reflected Michelle's "simple origins." The design was "inspired by French peasant clothes," Tomer explained.

Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and women's rights activist, is the first African American woman to be honored with a bust at the Capitol, according to the Washington Post.

When Michelle spoke at the ceremony, she said, "I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as first lady of the United States."

For journalist Kate Betts, Michelle's glamorous fashion moments weren't as interesting as the more down-to-earth ones, like this outfit that she wore to a Healthy Kids Fair. To run through an obstacle course on the White House lawn, Michelle took off her shoes. "She seems remarkably unintimidated by traditions that have subjugated women for centuries," Betts wrote in her book Everyday Icon. "She's not afraid her dignity might be compromised by a barefoot dash across the white house lawn. ... Her gospel generally falls along the lines of empowering women for what they might make of their lives. It is a gospel that is rooted in the substance of style, a gospel that defines style as knowing who you are and being unafraid to show it to the world."

Michelle chose a strapless champagne and silver chiffon dress by Naeem Khan for the Obamas' first state dinner in honor of the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur.

Khan, an Indian-born American citizen, put a team of 40 people to work on the dress, which was intended to evoke the look of a sari. He was thrilled when he spoke to the Wall Street Journal after the event. "Why it was so important, apart from it being our First Lady, was the coming together of India and America, which is me," he said.

The many bangles she wore on her arm were a nod to her guests. "What she did with her hair and I love the idea of all those bangles, because it’s very traditional Indian," Khan said. "You know, Indian women do not live without their bangles."

For the White House Correspondents Dinner hosted by Jay Leno, Michelle wore this arresting off-the-shoulder draped dress by Prabal Gurung. With her short, straight bob, Michelle looked like she was going to an awards ceremony in Hollywood — and in fact, she was hosting much of Hollywood in Washington.

"She's worn different kinds of styles," Gurung told the Huffington Post. "She's worn strapless. She's worn bigger skirts. The way this matte jersey is draped and hand stitched — and you haven't seen the back part of the gown — is incredibly beautiful. When I was doing it, I thought it would perfectly enhance the type of woman she is. It's modern, not vulgar, very chic, very beautiful."

This multicolored Thakoon dress fit the celebratory nature of the reception, which happened just before a state visit from the president and first lady of Mexico. Michelle loves a print, and this was a fun, vibrant example (maybe the best example) of one of her style signatures. She accessorized with open-toed strappy yellow sandals and big hoop earrings.

As part of her Let's Move! initiative, Michelle invited chefs and kids to the White House kitchen garden for a harvest. It's one of many harvests she had over the years, but this particular image encapsulates the energy and intent the first lady brought to her program. Wearing a green Lanvin top and black pants, Michelle was willing to work, pulling fennel bulbs out of the ground, getting right in the dirt, and perspiring under a hot sun.

Michelle chose this dramatic silk organza dress for the occasion of a state dinner in honor of President Hu Jintao of China. Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the gown was praised for its glamour and symbolic color.

But then, Oscar de la Renta, who until that point had not been asked to design a look for the first lady, groused (again) about Michelle's choices. "My understanding is that the visit was to promote American-Chinese trade," he told WWD. "American products in China and Chinese products in America. Why do you wear European clothes?" Following that statement, the CFDA came out and expressed its disappointment in Michelle's choice of a British designer over an American one.

In response, Michelle said, "I like to patronize American designers, and the vast majority of the clothes that I wear are [designed by Americans]. But there are a lot of other designers that have cute stuff too. I don't think that I'm any different from any other woman, other than the fact that people see what I wear and then they talk about it."