07 May 2007

Quote of the day: Suzie Yalof Schwartz

"That is TOO much cleavage for the White House."

(Glamour Magazine's Executive Fashion Director Suzie Yalof Schwartz to GMA anchor Robin Roberts while dress-shopping at Saks for tonight's in-the-Queen's-honor State Dinner)

Below is a picture of the dress - a Spring/Summer 2007 Monique Lhuillier creation - on which Robin, with Suzie's emphatic support, ultimately decided.


I'm not a fan of the beaded empire-waist, but then again, I'm not a fan of beaded anything. Where I regain interest, however, is in the distressed organza detailing on the upper-part of the straps, along with the dramatic thick-to-thinning of the fabric at the top of the shoulders that creates an illusion of weightlessness and out-of-nowhere straplessness.

And then there's the beauty of the back -- a deeper than its frontal counterpart, almost to the waistline, V-cut plunge. In a word, stunning. But don't take my word for it, look closely below and you can catch your own glimpse of it sashaying off the runway.


Though I couldn't find the exact champagne-hued Alberta Ferreti gown Roberts initially tried on (the one that elicited the above quote), the difference between it and this one above is the way in which the neckline - also a deep-V - pushed her breasts together instead of letting them fall naturally. Instead of looking regal, she looked pageanty, but even worse than that, she looked State Dinner inappropriate. In the Lhuillier gown, like the model's, Roberts' chest was exposed but did not bare any visible cleavage.

If the dowdy custom-made turquoise Oscar de la Renta frock the First Lady will be donning tonight is any indication of tonight's white-tie style standard, even though it wouldn't have been my choice, there's little doubt in my mind Robin's dress will earn her the "best in show" title.

Sorry, Queen Elizabeth II, even with your sure-to-be-a-conversation-piece hat, you're not even in the running.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that was a quick turnaround! I saw that interview on GMA, and you posted this something like 15 minutes later. Impressed!

Anonymous said...

J- I love the new redesign!

Anonymous said...

Let's hope RR does something less Hillary Clinton esque with her hair.

Johanna said...

Yeah, I couldn't help myself when I heard that quote. I was half-way out the door, and then I was like, nope, gotta write something. Thanks for the kudos!

M- thank you for the compliment! It's not perfect yet, but it's better than before. Some people have told me they miss the little commentary I had about Steptoe & Johnson, one congressional mistress at a time, etc., but I just didn't want to err on the side of too much. What I have now is simple - maybe too simple? - but better than some of the overly crowded banners I've seen.

dc girl - yeah, homegirl needs a fresh 'do. Maybe a weave but NOT with Tyra's stylist!