So you want to know what I thought about Michelle Obama’s inauguration outfits. As you already know from the post below, I am pretty impressed with the citrine Isabel Toledo dress and coat she wore to the ceremony. That is a tough color to pull off, but a great choice, both style-wise and symbolically. Yellow heralds hope, the sun, warmth. All things we need right now. I admit would not have paired the dress with teal shoes and green gloves, but she made it work. It looks like Michelle Obama is even more daring color-wise than I am. I probably would have gone with grey as an accent, or maybe a blue shade.

I didn’t get a look at her inauguration gown until yesterday, and on first glimpse I was concerned that it looked a little prom-y. But upon closer examination, I am really impressed with its sophistication. The crystals embedded in the dress twinkled subtly, and I’m a sucker for anything asymmetric, so I am very pro-one-shoulder strap. As everyone in the world knows by now, it was designed by a relative unknown named Jason Wu, from whom we shall all expect to see and hear more of in the near future.

But if you ask me, the real fashion showstopper was Aretha Franklin’s hat.

Now that is the kind of dramatic look we need to see more of.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the hat cost just $179 and is from a milliner in that city. Again, more proof that you don’t need to wear couture to make a fashion splash–just an eye for the dramatic and a lot of confidence.

According to the Today show this morning, Michelle Obama still has no idea what she is going to wear either to the inaugural ceremony or the balls. Instead, she’ll decide tomorrow morning–waiting until the last minute, as so many of us do. Unlike many of us, I’m sure she has a roomful of delicious dresses and gowns from adoring designers to choose from. Will she pick something by Chicago’s own Maria Pinto, or will she go with a more high-profile American designer? Whatever she picks, I am sure it will reflect her combination of down-to-earth style and a discerning eye for fashion.

Since Mrs. Obama has already brought so much attention to Chicago designers, I thought it would be interesting to ask another local designer what she would create for her to wear on Tuesday. Veronica Sheaffer is the design force behind Chicago women’s clothing label Coco Irene (the other half of the duo is business partner Taryn Parker), a line distinguished by romantic, vintagey details transposed onto contemporary contours.

Veronica came up with this extremely elegant yet modern fitted sheath featuring detachable train in back, which she calls “reminiscent of 60s Hollywood.” She chose the wide neckline to highlight Mrs. Obama’s “lovely neck and shoulders,” while the detailed seams around the bodice add a contemporary (even slightly edgy) touch. The fabric is a goldenrod damask, truly an unusual and eye-catching yet entirely appropriate choice.  Veronica calls it “royal and elegant,” two adjectives that can be applied to Mrs. Obama herself.

I love it. A beautiful design for the matriarch of the new First Family. Maybe Veronica and Taryn should send the sketch to the White House in case they need ideas for the next inauguration!

UPDATE: It looks like Veronica has her finger on the pulse! Mrs. Obama’s day dress is yellow and of a brocade fabric. It’s by the Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo, and one report I saw said that it was not made for her but was actually bought at Ikram, the high-end Chicago designer boutique. More on Mrs. Obama’s inauguration fashion later.