First Lady Michelle Obama's Inauguration Gown Goes To Smithsonian; Designer Jason Wu Will Attend Donation Ceremony

Mrs. Obama wore a Wu design to the first fooducation event at the White House, too; Wu goes on the record
First Lady Michelle Obama has been as much of a history maker in fashion as she has as the very first First Lady to have a food policy agenda. The White House has announced that on Tuesday, in a special ceremony, Mrs. Obama will donate the lovely Jason Wu-designed gown she wore on the night of the Inauguration to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, to be added to the "First Ladies at the Smithsonian" exhibit. A special new gallery has been created, "A First Lady's Debut," and it will feature Mrs. Obama's gown and ten other gowns worn by First Ladies. The focus of the new gallery is the public impressions and media coverage that occurs when First Ladies make their debuts at Inaugural Balls. In photo at top, White House photographer Pete Souza's now-famous photo of President Obama and Mrs. Obama in a golf cart in between Balls; small photo is a better view of Mrs. Obama's gown.

"First of all, how good looking is my wife?" was the President's opening line at the first Ball on Inauguration night.


Media coverage of First Lady debuts has particular meaning for designer Wu, who will join Mrs. Obama at the Smithsonian, and speak at the event. Wu first found out Mrs. Obama was wearing his winter white gown, which was embellished with rosettes and Swarovski crystals, when he saw her on TV. He told the New York Times that he'd sat down to watch the Inaugural festivities with his boyfriend, a pal, and a pizza, and wasn't even sure, initially, that it was his gown Mrs. Obama was wearing. He'd submitted his design months before to Mrs. Obama's stylist, and had never heard back. Then his cell phone started ringing. And ringing, and ringing. By the next morning, Wu was internationally famous, at age 26. "I was over the moon," Wu said at the time, and he also noted that he was well aware that his gown would eventually end up at the Smithsonian. (Above: Wu last May, at the 2009 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, when Ob Fo snapped him during the red carpet arrivals. "I'm so honored, grateful, and a little overwhelmed," Wu said, about all the attention he'd received thanks to Mrs. Obama)

Mrs. Obama has also invited thirty-two fashion design students from New York's Huntington High School Fashion Program to be her special guests at the Smithsonian ceremony, in keeping with her commitment to promoting arts and education. Wu is a good example for the students. He was already selling his clothing designs at age sixteen, and designing high-couture doll clothes. By the time Mrs. Obama catapulted him to fame a decade later, he was already regarded as a wunderkind by fashion insiders. Over the last year, Wu's line has sold out everywhere it is available, and he's been able to expand his brand in a huge way, with new clothing lines, eye wear, and even a special new digital camera unveiled two weeks ago, "Create by Jason Wu."

Mrs. Obama wore another Wu design to the first important foodie event at the White House in Year 1. Last February 22, for the first time, Mrs. Obama opened the White House kitchen to culinary students so they could interact with the White House chefs. The cooking school students were invited to participate in the media menu preview event for the 2009 Governors Dinner, and it was the start of the major White House focus on nutrition education, healthy eating, teaching cooking, and gardening, which have all now coalesced into Mrs. Obama's legacy making project, the Let's Move! campaign. Since February 2009, hundreds of students have toured the Kitchen Garden, and dozens of students and volunteers have visited and worked in the white House kitchen with the chefs. Mrs. Obama wore the Wu dress again on February 25 of this year, for a special ceremony in the East Room with President Obama, to award the national Medal of Arts and National Medal of Humanities to twenty honorees. (Above: Mrs. Obama in the Wu dress, from his Spring 2009 collection; Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford is center, and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses is at right)

Perhaps in future the garden tools and outfit Mrs. Obama wore for the April 2009 groundbreaking of the White House Kitchen Garden will be added to the Smithsonian First Lady collection, too. The Kitchen Garden laid the groundwork for Let's Move!, and her outfit got plenty of attention at the time: Mrs. Obama was clad in black, and wore a Maria Cornejo belt and Jimmy Choo motorcycle boots. (Above)

A Smithsonian representative says that the shoes and Loree Rodkin jewels Mrs. Obama wore with Wu's Inaugural gown will also be donated to the museum. The new "A First Lady's Debut" gallery will be open to the public on Wednesday, March 10. An online version of the gallery will be available shortly after, according to the Smithsonian.

*Photos: Pete Souza/White House for top photo; Getty photos of Mrs. Obama in the White House kitchen and garden; Inaugural gown photo by AP; Wu photo by Obama Foodorama