Clearly, we’re not the only fans of Michelle Obama’s style. This weekend, as Huma Abedin made her first appearance on the campaign trail, accompanying husband and mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner to events around New York City, she borrowed a look from the FLOTUS’s look book, choosing to wear a simple, affordable, red-and-white-checked ASOS sundress that Michelle wore last August in Iowa. (It also has blue accents, because … America.)
The accomplished and attractive Abedin has previously been hailed for her sense of personal style — she dressed the part of D.C. stylish powerwoman during her time as Hillary Clinton’s deputy chief of staff and scored a Vogue spread in 2007. But as she hangs on the arm of a mayoral hopeful, style becomes more symbolic: Must she play down her power look to play this new role?
With a classic silhouette and bold, tablecloth-like pattern, the ASOS frock communicates a safe, domestic, Americana sweetness that was certainly not lost on Michelle, either. In politics, where a dress is rarely just a dress, could it have been accidental that Abedin donned an iconic Mobama dress? Probably not. As the Huffington Post points out, this A-line dress was the First Lady’s most re-tweeted yet, worn in a memorable moment of success during President Obama’s campaign. So, whether she meant to or not, Abedin is now positioning herself as City Hall’s Michelle Obama: Approachable, fashionable, but with an agenda all her own. Or maybe she’s just predicting her husband’s own victory. Do what you have to do, just leave the Jason Wu to Michelle.
