The Deep Symbolism of Michelle Obama’s #FarewellSpeech Dress

For President Obama’s farewell speech on Tuesday evening, he went back to his adopted hometown of Chicago. And first lady Michelle Obama went back to a favorite designer: Jason Wu.

FLOTUS wore a lace, long-sleeved, below-the-knee number in navy, the same hue worn by her husband and their daughter Malia. The understated dress had sheer sleeves and an A-line silhouette that perfectly skimmed her statuesque physique. “You took on a role you didn’t ask for, and you made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humor,” the emotional president told his wife from the stage.

At just 34 years old, Wu has come a long way since debuting his first ready-to-wear collection in 2007. The Taiwanese-Canadian designer is based in New York City, where about 90 percent of his garments are produced, according to his website. “I create clothes for women who are not only fiercely fashionable but also own their power and femininity,” he says on his site. He’s dressed Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore, and Kerry Washington, among others. But it’s Michelle Obama who has come to be known as Wu’s most influential and loyal client.

There’s no doubt that the first lady’s decision to punctuate her tenure by wearing Wu to mark each of three milestones — two beginnings and Tuesday’s farewell — was, well, by design.

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