TheBlaze does not usually report on fashion trends or presidential outfits, but in this case, a shirt forms part of a larger narrative.

Over the weekend, Michelle Obama “wowed” at Buckingham Palace “in a captivating, all-white embroidered jacket that retails for $6,800,” in the words of the New York Daily News.

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Explaining that the first lady opted for a J. Mendel “capsleeve jacket” from the 2013 resort collection, the Daily News continued:

And [Michelle Obama] put dozens of stuffy royals and heads of state to fashion shame, making the queen look dowdy in her bulging aquamarine dress and tired-looking crown — and even showing up Kate Middleton in her belted, fitted satin coat-dress.

Make no mistake, FLOTUS followers quickly pointed out, the radiant, silk-and-viscose tailored jacket — with the capped sleeves highlighting her famously toned arms and a matching ivory-silk pleated skirt — were made in the U.S.A.

And a surefire way to generate patriotic pride is to best a fashionable head-turner like Middleton on her own turf when she’s clad in the blue pastels of wunderkind designer Christopher Kane.

“She isn’t just wearing a $6,800 jacket — she’s supporting the commerce of the nation,” said top celebrity fashion stylist Robert Verdi, who plies his trade on Eva Longoria, Hugh Jackman and numerous other A-listers.

“It’s not wasteful, it’s inspiring: It’s a New York company — selling a product made in the U.S. at places like Saks — and it helps the tailor and the little dry cleaner on the corner stay in business.” [Emphasis added]


The Washington Post, perhaps playing on the company, asked whether Michelle Obama’s “princely” outfit was “fit for a queen?”

Michelle Obama 'put stuffy royals' like Kate Middleton 'to fashion shame,' according to the New York Daily News. (Photo: AP)

But the first lady has also drawn some criticism for her extravagant top– partially because the same media savaged Ann Romney for her $990 shirt back in May.

A Washington Post article, for instance, called Ann Romney’s shirt “indicative of a tone-deaf campaign,“ and claimed it could ”haunt the campaign indefinitely.” The article continued:

The very wealthy Mitt and Ann Romney have often been painted as out of touch with average Americans. Ann’s pricey shirt will not help her husband change those perceptions, no matter how many Laundromat photo ops are on the campaign’s daily itinerary.

[...]

Some Americans might be thinking that the $1,000 spent on one shirt could help them out with a house payment or buy necessities at Walmart. Others are counting exactly how many T-shirts that amount would buy at Target, where first lady Michelle Obama said she often shops… [Emphasis added]

Ann Romney was criticized for her $990 shirt in May. (Photo via New York Magazine)

Apparently wearing expensive clothes is a big “no-no” if you’re wealthy enough to afford it, but glamorous if taxpayers are offsetting your other costs.

The Gateway Pundit turned around the media’s praise of Michelle Obama and criticism of Ann Romney, writing: “She does this as Americans continue to suffer through a deep recession and record unemployment…”

But they assured: “Michelle Obama feels your pain.”

(H/T: Newsbusters)