Do you love Michelle Obama's dress?

Congratulations to president-elect Barack Obama for his historical win in the elections. A tear just trickled down when I heard his acceptance speech. He spoke with such charisma and conviction, it's hard not to be overwhelmed by emotions. Speaking of a historical new beginning, there may just be another new beginning. A breath of fresh air amongst the fashion sense in the White House. The Obama family took the stage by storm on Tuesday night in cute color-coordinated outfits, themed in red and black. The message was also strong, that the Obama family is a strongly united close-knit family. And very Democratic indeed.

The first words that escaped me when I first saw Michelle Obama's Narciso Rodriguez dress was, "Wow, that's different!" Thankfully, she is not decked out in customary pantsuits and boring pastels which we've seen all too much by now. Michelle Obama toned down her dress by wearing a cardigan over her black and red sheath dress. That dress really made a statement, it was striking, strong and bold. She is very democratic in her fashion sense and doesn't follow the well-taken path, she represents the new. President-elect Barack Obama wore a dark-navy suit custom-made by Hart Schaffner Marx accompanied with a deep red, striped necktie. He was dashing and looked every part the future President.

With the good comes the bad. To be honest, Michelle's dress is fresh and bold, but it really fails to flatter her figure. It made her look rather stocky and even ignites pregnancy suspicions. Plus, the altered neckline and black cardigan really didn't help at all. As you can see from the picture, the original dress from Narciso Rodriguez's spring 2009 collection is really beautiful, if left intact...

While Michelle's choice of dress is debatable, one thing's for sure everybody loves the children. Daughters Malia and Sasha wore cute matching dresses, with Malia in a red bubble dress and Sasha in a black dress with an oversized bow in front. How cute they look, perfect complements to Barack and Michelle.

The choice of her dress that night is questionable, but it's undeniable that Michelle Obama has exquisite taste in fashion. I've a feeling we won't be seeing so many pantsuits and more designer dresses. A new era has dawned in the White House and it just gets better. A toast to the first family!

Do you like Michelle's dress? Love it or hate it?