Monday, June 2, 2014

Who Pays For Michelle Obama's Clothes?

Good question. 

Muddled answers.

"How does Mrs. Obama, a fashion icon with far more expensive tastes than Mrs. Bush, swing it?"

"For starters, the Obamas reported adjusted income of $481,000 (U.S.) last year, and assets worth $1.8 million to $7 million (U.S.)."

"And like most people, Mrs. Obama (mostly her personal aide, really) looks for discounts."

(Ed Note: "Nice fashion house you got going there...would be a shame if anything happened to it...")

"Here’s how Joanna Rosholm, press secretary to the first lady, explains it:"

“Mrs. Obama pays for her clothing. For official events of public or historic significance, such as a state visit, the first lady’s clothes may be given as a gift by a designer and accepted on behalf of the U.S. government. They are then stored by the National Archives.”

"That saves Mrs. Obama considerable money, although the White House refused to say how often the first lady wears donated clothes and the National Archives declined to say how many such items it has in storage. The White House did say that the first lady doesn’t borrow any clothing and, for the most part, buys her own clothes."

"The clothing donated by designers includes Mrs. Obama’s two inaugural gowns made by Jason Wu, a lesser-known designer before Mrs. Obama turned him into a star in the fashion firmament. Wu declined to discuss how he works with the first lady."