Michelle Obama’s flawless fashion since she left the White House

Michelle Obama is one of the most fashionable first ladies in history. (She also of course graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and has spearheaded initiatives to help young people worldwide gain access to education — an extremely cool woman in many ways.) 

Now that she has left the White House and won’t as frequently be photographed in show stopping gowns at state dinners and government events, admirers can still glimpse her unique outfits — picks from emerging designers, on-point athleisure-wear, and chic travel looks — as she globe trots and pursues the causes she’s passionate about outside of DC. Here are some of Michelle Obama’s best looks since she left the White House.

At her first speaking engagement after January’s Inauguration, Obama took the stage at the American Institute of Architects conference in Florida in the same signature style that made her a fashion icon from the time she first emerged in the public eye.

She wore this long, loose color-blocked dress in gray, white, and taupe. As Vogue notes, Obama is “continuing her commitment to promoting the best in homegrown design talent” in this piece from Lafeyette 148, an American label based out of New York.

At MTV’s National College Signing Day event, Obama’s outfit was all about her alma mater: Princeton. She wore a v-neck gray T-shirt emblazoned with the college’s name and tiger mascot. To complete the ultra-casual monochrome look, she wore gray cropped skinny jeans, a comfy, draped gray sweater, gray bracelets, and gray sneaks. And is that even a gray manicure? 

This is a hip, everyday look. The kind we don’t usually get to see a first lady wear. But it’s cool to see that Obama’s strong sense of style extends to her less formal appearances too. 

Hey, have you heard that Michelle Obama loves to exercise? It’s just this random, little-known fact about her that only hardcore biographers or anyone who has lived in the United States over the past decade has probably heard about. 

Well now that Obama is a private citizen, she’s keeping up her public love for working out. On Instagram, she explained that she puts together bootcamps with her female friends where they can all exercise together no matter their fitness abilities. She wrote that while she started this tradition at the White House, she’s keeping it going now: “My girlfriends have been there for me through all kinds of life transitions over the years – including a pretty big one recently! – and we’ve done our best to stay healthy together.” 

And you’ll notice from the photos that, no surprise, Obama has great workout outfits to go along with her passion for moving, like the cropped pants, matching orange and white tank top, and black cap she’s wearing above.

The designer Tanya Taylor is all about strong women, and even recently launched a line of extended sizes after being inspired by a collaboration with Aidy Bryant on a size 18 dress. So it’s no surprise to see the designer’s work on another powerful role model. 

Obama wore this flowy, flower-covered, light (even… millennial?) pink wrap dress at an event for the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. And according to Vogue, those oversize earrings are Simone Rocha and the heels are Jimmy Choo. The dress also kind of matches the vibe of the chair she’s sitting in, which probably wasn’t planned… but when you match your chair, you know you have a look. 

Since Michelle Obama has been out of the White House she’s still bringing awesome looks and lesser known designers to the public. Hopefully as we get to see her participate in a wider array of activities in private and public life, she’ll keep inspiring us aesthetically and in many other ways. Like, basically all of the ways. 

And if you’re missing that Michelle Obama glamor in your life, now you know how to nail her signature style: rip off one of the sleeves of your favorite outfit, put on some matching bold-colored earrings, grab your biggest vacation accessories, run some laps, and empower somebody.