Marion Cunningham 
Photo credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Tonight the Os will welcome the National Governors Association to the White House, hosting their first black tie dinner at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. As we mentioned earlier this week, Earth, Wind & Fire is slated to play, which will surely make for a fun evening.
From the White House press release:
“The White House is the place where our bond as Americans is strengthened,” said Desiree Rogers, White House Social Secretary. “We look forward to welcoming the nation’s governors to celebrate our democratic ideals, our diversity, our shared values and the best of the American spirit.”
We’re curious to see how Mrs. O will interpret black tie attire at the White House – a cocktail dress or a formal evening gown? (Of note, the reference to “black tie” came from Lynn Sweet’s very reliable column for the Chicago Sun Times.)
Update: This afternoon Mrs. O spoke with a group of culinary students from L’Academie de Cuisine in the White House kitchen before the Governors’ Dinner. The Huffington Post has a slideshow here. The dress is a cocktail length cobalt blue gem from Jason Wu’s Spring 2009 collection (runway image here). As many have already observed in the comments, the dress is quite similar to the white Jason Wu dress that Mrs. O wore for an interview with Barbara Walters in November. We imagine the materials and construction – raw silk with hand embroidered rosettes – are the same.
Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun Times also has the scoop on the menu, china and flowers for tonight’s event, which can be read here.
Update: Mrs. O has changed dresses! The First Lady is wearing a black, sparkly full length strapless gown paired with a dramatic multi-strand necklace of pearls and diamonds. We believe the gown may be a design from Peter Soronen’s Fall Winter 2008 collection. With her hair pulled up, our First Lady Mrs. O is the epitome of style and glamour this evening.
[Mrs. O ]
