On Monday morning, fashion bigwigs converged at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to cut the ribbon on the newly redesigned Costume Institute wing dedicated to fashion maven and tastemaker Anna Wintour. The momentous occasion also marked one of the few times the stone-cold Vogue editor-in-chief publically showed any emotion other than a purse of her lips.
As First Lady Michelle Obama spoke about the importance of fashion and the institute’s integral role in “opening up the world of fashion like never before,” a typically stoic Wintour seemed teary-eyed and in need of a shoulder to lean on, which FLOTUS was happy to give as she embraced a joyful Wintour.
“I’m here because I have such respect and admiration for this woman, who I am proud to call my friend,” Obama, dressed in an embroidered Naeem Khan dress, stated at the ceremony filled with fashion’s most respected designers, including Calvin Klein, Donatella Versace, Marc Jacobs, and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Obama also spoke on the importance of the Costume Institute, saying it has the potential of “opening up the world of fashion like never before” to the “hundreds of thousands” of students who will visit the exhibition and will realize the industry’s economic importance and career potential. The fashionable first lady also announced plans with Wintour “to bring students to the White House for a fashion workshop.”
First, Kim Kardashian made the cover of Vogue. Now, the Conde Nast creative director is showing emotion. Could the “Ice Queen” be shedding her “Nuclear Wintour” persona and growing soft with old age?