Inauguration Fashion: Highlights

by Fashion and Entertainment Editor Joseph Lamour

From E! Online.

Just a quick note (“quick” is a bold faced lie and I know it) to show you that we Racialicious denizens leave the roost sometimes and branch out!

Yesterday, we celebrated the swearing in of our first African American president, for the second time (woo!) We also celebrated the confirmation of four more years of Michelle Obama looking ferosh all the time in the public eye, so I was asked to participate in a Huffington Post Live hangout where a few people would talk about the highlights of the inauguration ceremony from various angles. The guests were:

• Reverend Deborah L. Johnson, Founder of Inner Light Ministries, Santa Cruz, CA
• Molly Darden, Managing Editor of Azizah Magazine, Atlanta, GA
• Dr. Christopher House, Dir., African American Worship Service at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• Tim Byrnes, Professor of Political Science at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
• J.J. Colagrande, Professor at Miami-Dade Wolfson and HuffPost Blogger, Miami, FL
• Joseph Lamour, Fashion & Entertainment Editor at Racialicious.com, Washington, DC

C’est moi! The drawing behind me is by yours truly as well. Cross promotion!

Let me just tell you: I did not expect to be seated amongst tenured professors and ministers. I was taken aback (and feel honored to be even thought of for the same discussion as the above people). I was so taken aback that I forgot my opening line! I had dubbed yesterday African American Awesomeness Day, and it really was. I promise I’m not talking about myself, either. I’m being humble (for once). To have Martin Luther King’s birthday fall on the same day as the re-inauguration of an African American President with his African American First Lady at his side was truly, truly, awesome.

I had mentioned in the hangout that her coat was by Thom Browne–and that Thom Browne is prohibitively expensive–because everyone has been talking about whether she would tone it down today because, like, no one in America has a job. Well, as the fashion expert, I decided to confirm that she did not in fact tone it down, J. Crew belt and pumps or not. That didn’t mean I didn’t like the outfit–I thought she looked fabulous as well. I especially like how the fabric Browne chose was meant to reflect a man’s tie and, thus, Barack’s tie. It’s a pretty genius way of saying, “We’re a unit and don’t you forget it.” Then we started talking about something else, and as a new television personality (I’m kidding again) I didn’t see a chance to shout, “But, who cares how much that coat was anyway? I certainly don’t!” I digress.

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