MICHELLE OBAMA’S BOOK tour for The Light We Carry has been like watching a fashion show of independent designer jewelry.
This is not a new occurrence; as First Lady and with help from stylist Meredith Koop, Obama rocked and championed some of our favorite up-and-comers, as well as some names that were already well-known yet still considered to be indie designers. These included Loree Rodkin and Kimberly McDonald, both of whose jewelry was worn by the First Lady at her husband’s inauguration. She also was a fan of Alexis Bittar, Kara Ross and Jennifer Fisher hoop earrings.
She put Los Angeles based Chari Cuthbert designer of ByChari into the spotlight when she wore her yellow gold VOTE necklace to the 2020 National Convention. In fact, it had the young designer selling 2000 copies of the necklace within 24 hours. And there is a longer list of names she created a buzz around by wearing their jewels. Her fashion sense has also always been spot on, propelling her to the status of “style icon” for the eight years that her husband was in office and drawing comparisons to another trendsetting First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy.
But let’s fast-forward to the more recent book tour. So far, we’ve spotted Ms. Obama in Grace Lee on two different occasions—gold and diamond rings and earrings, and a black onyx and gold statement heart ring. And just a few days ago, Emily P. Wheeler’s enamel and gemstone multi-drop earrings accessorized the two-time author’s lobes. She also wore Dallas-based emerging jeweler Elizabeth Hooper’s puzzle earrings with Jennifer Fisher rings, Jennifer Fisher hoops, Melinda Maria and Walters Faith jewelry.
Michelle Obama continues to dazzle us as an empowering woman, role model and supporter of burgeoning jewelers. We also applaud Meredith Koop’s styling, which helped land Ms. Obama the title of First Lady of Fashion.