Shelley O in India

Not sari.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama participate in a wreath laying ceremony at Raj Ghat, the memorial to independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, in New Delhi.

First Lady Michelle Obama visits the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum in New Delhi.

If you're a long-time reader of our Shelley O posts, then you probably think we're going to rip this outfit apart. But guess what? We like it quite a bit. Look, this is not the best silhouette for her, we've made that claim over and over again. But she's very stubborn when it comes to our advice and she's going to wear those full, high-waisted skirts whether we approve or not. We have a couple of reasons for giving this outfit our approval; one, it is entirely appropriate for the event. She looks chic but understated. Two, we love the print of the skirt. Three, we've criticized her a lot, but Michelle is very good at using her clothes to make a point, like the time she wore a dress by a designer known for only using black models to the ceremony unveiling the Sojourner Truth bust in the Capitol.

With this look, it seems to us that she's tipping her hat a bit to the clothing traditions of India without being too literal about it. Her top looks very much like the kind you often see worn under a sari by Indian women. The fullness of the skirt as well as the brilliance of the colors also calls to mind a sari; again, without being costumey or condescending. Just a nod in the direction of the cultural traditions. And then she bought all that beautiful handmade jewelry at the museum and immediately put it on. Calculated to appeal to the locals? Maybe. But we admire that she can be thoughtful with her clothing even if we don't always love what she's wearing from a style perspective.

[Photo Credit: getty]

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Labels: Fashion, Michelle Obama