NO ONE doubted her intellect, her warmth or her ability to bond with everyone from cancer sufferers to Her Majesty. In fact, the only bone of contention as far as Michelle Obama's G20 visit to London was concerned was THAT cardigan. The one that cost more than £600, but looked as though her children had been messing about in their collage box.
Designed by Junya Watanabe for Comme Des Garcons, the offending item was an asymmetric hotchpotch of colours and styles (combining the sky-blue of her dress with Argyle check and a long sequin ribbon) which provoked admiration and derision in equal m
easure on the streets of Glasgow.
"She looked fabulous and I would definitely wear that cardigan," said Gillian Anderson, 27, who lives in Norwich, but was up visiting her mother Aileen. "I like the way she has chosen that Pringle-style check. I think she tries to identify herself with those who cannot afford so much, those who buy on the High Street."
But for Helen Stewart, 67, of Kincardine, it was a faux-pas. "It is absolutely horrible, with that big dart thing running up the back – it's too rough and grungy – not elegant at all."
The great cardigan debate notwithstanding, Mrs O wowed the capital with a collection of eclectic, colourful outfits which put most of the premier's wives in the shade.
The most enthusiastically received outfits were probably the mint green shantung silk skirt, sparkly constellation cardigan and vest top (all from High Street chain J Crew) she wore to visit London's Maggie's Centre on Wednesday; and the crepe silk, black and ivory tuxedo tank dress by Isabel Toledo she wore to Buckingham Palace.
"I have to say I'm a big fan of Michelle Obama," said Tessa Hartmann, co-chair of the Scottish Fashion Council. "She knows how to work her shape and wears A-line skirts, nipped in at the waist which flatter her slightly heavier hips.
"I think the reason people are castigating her is because they are afraid of colour; they are used to politicians wearing boring, neutral shades.
"And you have to remember, she knew where she was going – to a school for disadvantaged children – if she'd worn something too formal and over the top, she'd have been criticised for that too."
It is not just her sense of style that makes Michelle Obama so popular, however, but her warmth, social grace and approachability. There are not many wives of world leaders who could move so easily among strangers, or who could not only get away with putting their arm round the Queen, but find the gesture reciprocated.
"It's her height, the way she carries herself, her hand movements that give her presence," says Hartmann. "The fact she knows how to dress herself isn't what makes her stand out from the crowd – it's just the icing on the cake."
