Michelle Obama Perfected Cool First Lady Style

It’s been over 20 years since America was first introduced to Michelle Obama, the wife of an ambitious young senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. By 2008, the Obama family (they have two daughters, Malia and Sasha) moved from Chicago to the White House, and Michelle took up the role of First Lady of the United States.

During her eight years in the White House—and beyond—Obama used fashion to reflect her values. She used her station to highlight American designers, wearing a pale yellow Isabel Toledo dress and coat for the 2009 Inauguration Day parade, a white one-shouldered Jason Wu for the 2009 Inaugural Ball, and a raspberry Sergio Hudson trouser set for Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration.

While Obama has always served her duty in style, her post-White House years have allowed her to blossom. Often with stylist Meredith Koop's assistance, the former First Lady has been having more fun with fashion. At the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, she hit the stage in a sleeveless navy Monse suit, and she opted for a tortoiseshell Theory suit while campaigning for Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Even off the campaign trail, Obama is liable to be impeccably dressed. For an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show in December she wore an asymmetrical Bottega Veneta dress with an oversized blazer and Jimmy Choo heeled boots. And during the tour for her memoir, The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times, she leaned into color, sparkle, and unexpected suiting—including the Ganni Canadian tuxedo she paired with patent leather oxblood boots from Balenciaga.

Whether she’s platforming American designers or pushing the limits of her own style, Michelle Obama will always be as stylish as she is graceful. In honor of her birthday, take a look back at some of the former first lady’s best fashion moments.