For President Obama’s last State of the Union address, Michelle Obama was traditionally bold—wearing a vibrant orange sleeveless dress—on Jan. 12, 2016.
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The first lady changed course and wore a real suit to the State of the Union—this Michael Kors salt-and-pepper tweed with a prominent zipper—for the Jan. 20, 2015, address.
The first lady broke with her tradition of wearing U.S. designers for the State of the Union with this rich forest green dress from Azzedine Alaïa, the Tunisian-born Paris designer, for her husband’s Jan. 28, 2014, address.
A few critics hit the first lady for this two-tone sparkling Jason Wu sheath with a glittering maroon skirt, saying her now-trademark sleeveless look was more fit for a cocktail party. Still, she stayed true to Wu, who designed her best-known Inaugural Ball gowns one month before this Feb. 12, 2013, State of the Union.
(L-R) Flanked by U.S. Navy Vice Admiral William McRaven, job-training advocate Jackie Bray, astronaut and gun-control activist Mark Kelly, and Jill Biden, Michelle Obama radiated in this sapphire blue twill dress by Los Angeles designer Barbara Tfank on Jan. 24, 2012.
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First lady Michelle Obama arrived in a silver Rachel Roy ensemble for the 2011 State of the Union address, the year senators and representatives from opposite sides of the aisle chose to sit with each other in an attempt to alleviate partisanship.
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President Obama’s approval numbers may have been down for his first State of the Union address, but Michelle Obama drew high marks for this jewel-toned Isaac Mizrahi combination for the Jan. 27, 2010, address at the Capitol.
Technically, this Feb. 24, 2009, event was not a State of the Union address but a speech to gathered representatives and officials about the U.S. economic crisis. Michelle Obama made fashion headlines for this sleeveless Narcisco Rodriguez dress, baring her arms in the depths of February.
