First ladies and fashion

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First ladies and fashion

Michelle Obama's fashionable clothing has become something of a given in her five-plus years as first lady. Yet her wardrobe still is the subject of endless public fascination and one long-simmering question: Who pays for those incredible outfits?

This Feb. 11, 2014 file photo shows President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at the North Portico of the White House in Washington to greet French President Fran's Hollande, who is arriving for a State Dinner. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)

In this Jan. 21, 2013 file photo, President Barack Obama bows as he and first lady Michelle Obama, wearing a ruby-colored chiffon and velvet Jason Wu gown, get ready to dance at the Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

This two-picture combo of file photos shows a model walking the runway during the Marchesa Fall 2013 fashion show at Fashion Week in New York, Feb. 13, 2013, left, and first lady Michelle Obama waving as she arrives at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner in Washington, May 2, 2014. First lady Michelle Obama in a Marchesa gown at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, her gown was a custom version of a dress from the Marchesa Fall 2013 collection shown on the runway. (AP Photo/File)

'This March 9, 2010 file photo shows first lady Michelle Obama standing next to the gown she wore to the 2009 inaugural ball, as she donates it to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington. The one-shouldered, white chiffon gown designed by Jason Wu is becoming part of the Smithsonian's First Ladies Collection. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

'This May 5, 2014 file photo shows first lady Michelle Obama arriving at Metropolitan Museum of Art for a dedication ceremony for the Anna Wintour Costume Center, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

This photo taken May 12, 2014 shows first lady Michelle Obama waving as she leaves the crafts area as she and Jill Biden hosted their annual Mother's Day tea to honor military mothers at White House in Washington. Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they�ve tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Even first ladies recycle their clothes, and Michelle Obama recently welcomed military moms to a Mother's Day Tea wearing the same shirtdress she'd worn to lunch with Katy Perry in 2012. (AP Photo)

This 1895 file photo shows Edith Kermit Roosevelt wearing a turn-of-the-century dress of black re-embroidered lace over taffeta. Edith Kermit Carow married Theodore Roosevelt in December 1886 and served as first lady from 1901 to 1909. Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they�ve tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Seven frugal do�s _ and don�ts _ that first ladies have tried over the years: Mrs. Roosevelt would wear the same dress to multiple events, but sometimes vary the descriptions in her press releases to make it seem as if she had more clothes than she did, according to historian Carl Anthony. (AP Photo/File)

AThis undated painting by Schapel shows Abraham Lincoln with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and their two sons, Robert Todd and Thomas Lincoln. The location is not known. Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they�ve tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Seven frugal do's _ and don'ts _ that first ladies have tried over the years: Mrs. Lincoln considered selling manure from the White House grounds to pay the bills that she ran up for clothes and household items. (AP Photo)

This Feb. 4, 1981 file photo shows former first lady Betty Ford getting outfitted with a spring wardrobe by Seventh Avenue designer Albert Capraro, in New York. She is wearing a cranberry tweed wood jacket with a silk blouse and flat wool skirt. Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they�ve tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Seven frugal do�s _ and don�ts _ that first ladies have tried over the years: Mrs. Ford purchased clothing from Capraro to minimize the costs of her wardrobe. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff, File)

This Jan. 18, 1965, file photo shows President-elect Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, acknowledge a salute from cheering Democrats at the inaugural gala in Washington. The event, featuring an international cast of stage and screen stars, highlighted the festivities preceding the inaugural ceremony. Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they�ve tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Seven frugal do�s _ and don�ts _ that first ladies have tried over the years: First lady Lady Bird Johnson wears a white peau de soie gown for the inaugural gala in 1965. Mrs. Johnson wore the same gown three more times over the next two years, according to the National Archives. (AP Photo/File)

This Jan. 10, 1989 file photo shows fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, left, and journalist Barbara Walters, right, posing with first lady Nancy Reagan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The first lady was awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to fashion. The award was presented by Walters during a ceremony at the museum. Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they�ve tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Seven frugal do�s _ and don�ts _ that first ladies have tried over the years: Mrs. Reagan was criticized by some for wearing borrowed designer clothes, sometimes without returning them or reporting them as gifts. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey, File)

This handout photo provided by the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, taken March 17, 1962, shows first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, center, touring the Palace of the Maharajah in Udaipur, India, wearing an apricot silk ziberline dress by Oleg Cassini during a state visit to Udaipur, India. Sure, living in the White House has its perks. But a clothing allowance is not one of them. When Jacqueline Kennedy caught criticism for wearing pricey French fashions, her father-in-law stepped in to defuse the issue. Joseph Kennedy offered to pay her wardrobe bills _ if she used Oleg Cassini, a family friend, as her personal couturier. "Jacqueline Kennedy accepted this offer, a move that was greeted with some astonishment by Seventh Avenue, where Cassini was not regarded as a designer of the first rank and something of a vulgarian as well," author Amanda Mackenzie Stuart wrote in a biography of Diana Vreeland. (AP Photo/John F. Kennedy Library and Museum)

This Jan. 20, 2001 file photo shows first lady Laura Bush waving as she arrives on stage for a Presidential Inaugural Ball at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington. Mrs. Bush wrote in her memoir that she was "amazed by the sheer number of designer clothes that I was expected to buy" as first lady. The gown description: a red crystal-embroidered gown by Texan Michael Faircloth. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

This two-picture combo of a handout photo released by the White House, taken Dec. 3, 2006 at the White House in Washington, left, and a Dec. 3, 2006 file photo taken at the Kennedy Center in Washington, shows first lady Barbara Bush. Living in the White House definitely has its perks, but a clothing allowance is not one of them. First ladies feel all sorts of pressure to project a fashionable look, and over the decades they�ve tried a range of cash-saving strategies to pull it off without going broke. Mrs. Bush wrote in her memoir that she quickly changed clothes that night after three women arrived for a White House reception wearing the same red gown as hers. (AP Photo/White House, File)

'This Jan. 20, 1993 file photo shows first lady Hillary Clinton putting her arm around her daughter Chelsea as they attend the MTV Ball at the Washington Convention Center. Mrs. Clinton's gown was designed by New Yorker Sarah Phillips, who estimated its value at $50,000. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson, File)

This handout photo provided by the Smithsonian shows a dress designed by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan for first lady Michelle Obama. It was worn to the 2012 Governors Dinner and is now on display at the Smithsonian. (AP Photo/Smithsonian)

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This Feb. 11, 2014 file photo shows President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at the North Portico of the White House in Washington to greet French President Fran's Hollande, who is arriving for a State Dinner. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)

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