Mrs O.org

By Mary Tomer

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 3:31 PM

When the first lady appeared on the December cover of Glamour magazine, wearing a red Jason Wu dress and a statement necklace adorned with jewels and bows, we were all intrigued by the same question: who made that gorgeous necklace? The answer proved to be designer Dana Lorenz for her line Fenton. The designer was as delighted to see her necklace on the first lady as we were, unaware that it had made its way into Mrs. O’s jewelry collection.

Behind the scenes, Jenna Lyons of J.Crew and Dana Lorenz had met at a dinner party a few months before. A great fan of the Fenton and Fallon lines, Jenna Lyons made plans to meet at Dana Lorenz’s new store in downtown Manhattan’s Freeman Alley to discuss a possible collaboration. As they looked through the Fenton and Fallon look books, there was a necklace that caught Jenna Lyon’s eye. J.Crew made plans to produce the necklace with slight modifications. It was a fortuitous though unexpected twist, when just three days after plans for the collaboration were set, the first lady wore the same Fenton necklace on the cover of Glamour. Though on track to release the necklace for Spring 2010, J.Crew decided to push production forward after seeing the response that the necklace received (in part, by comments from many of you!).

The Carrington crystal bow necklace, designed by J.Crew in collaboration with Fenton/Fallon, features crystals and glass stones, silk ribbons dyed by hand (available in ivory or grey/green), and unplated chains. “There is a certain handwriting that J.Crew has, and Dana’s pieces have a bit more edge,” Jenna Lyons said. “Mixed with J.Crew clothes, there is a nice contrast.” I asked Jenna how she might style the piece. “This is a statement necklace – no question,” she replied. She recommends pairing the necklace with a classic jewel neck t-shirt, black blazer and jeans, or even a chambray shirt buttoned up to the top.

These pieces are the first look at what will be a continuing collaboration between J.Crew and Fenton / Fallon. The next pieces, set to debut in April, May and June, will feature the chains, studs and rock crystals that Dana Lorenz’s work has become known for. Jenna Lyons said the gals at J.Crew are “madly obsessed” with the pieces. If these first necklaces are any indication, we will be too.

The Carrington crystal bow necklaces are available at J.Crew stores for $295. They’ll be available online at JCrew.com beginning December 30. We’ll follow up with a post when they are!

A White House Christmas!

Hooray for the White House Flickr page, which has released new photos from various White House events held over the past month. Below we’ll share our favorites, which include first looks at a few new Mrs. O frocks.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

The president and first lady descend the grand staircase at the White House, to attend the “Christmas in Washington” event on December 13th.  For the occasion, Mrs. O chose a pleated jersey dress by Isabel Toledo (“very Marilyn Monroe” in the designer’s words).

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

On December 4th, the president and first lady met Edith Childs of Greenwood, S.C.. Ms. Childs coined the phrase, “Fired Up! Read To Go!” which became the chant of the Obama campaign. Mrs. O wore a Michael Kors Gold Silk Lurex suit jacket and matching pencil skirt for the event. To note, we’ve seen the first lady wear the same ensemble in bold yellow and metallic red for prior events.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

Above, Mrs. O greeted guests during a holiday reception on December 15th. The first lady wore an emerald green Jason Wu cocktail dress with layered fan detailing through the skirt. The dress is from the designer’s Spring 2009 collection, seen here.

Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson

We’re treated to another look at Mrs. O’s purple pleated chiffon Peter Soronen gown, paired with an edgy Tom Binns necklace.

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Above the president and first lady greet the Strings of Joy ensemble during a White House fete on December 14th. The first lady wore an ivory velvet sheath dress for the function.

A Lovely Little Pin!

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Photo by Marte Garmann Johnsen / Office of the Prime Minister, Norway

Our friends at W Magazine have shared a fabulous new detail. The pave diamond flower pin that the first lady wore for her interview with Oprah, and also in Oslo, Norway, is a custom piece by the Italian-based jewelry company Garavelli. The pin was purchased by the president as an anniversary gift for Mrs. O, secured from their favorite Chicago jeweler. Lovely!

Happy Hanukkah!

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

The president and first lady celebrated Hanukkah at the White House last night. For the event, Mrs. O wore a deep purple suit with black beading at the collar.

For more on the event, check out the report from Politics Daily, here. Thank you to those who pointed us to a second photo that shows more detail of Mrs. O’s suit:

Dressed To Donate!

Photo by Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

First Lady Mrs. O travelled to Quantico, VA this morning to deliver more than 500 toys to the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots campaign. The toys were collected as part of an East Wing toy drive at the White House.

Per Political Punch, the First Lady said:

“On behalf of the President, Malia, Sasha, Bo and Grandma, we wish everybody a happy holidays, Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukah, anybody who’s out there celebrating anything: happy!”

On the style front, Mrs. O was well coordinated in layered black and white pieces. A salt and pepper tweed pea coat topped black pants, a black cardigan, and checkered blouse adorned with bows.