The sartorial skies were spread open wide when then lawyer, business woman, and wife of a presidential candidate Michelle Obama wore that Maria Pinto. It was sleeveless, streamline, and it was purple. The fashion world whirled itself into a frenzy as fashion critics, retailers, designers, and well, everyone, sung praises for the Black woman who would become America's next First Lady. The dress, the chiseled arms, and the blunt bob cemented her place in fashion history. It was no longer just about Barack, Michelle was the promise of a new fist-bumping American woman — a sophistication that single-handedly revitalized a crippling fashion industry. And so purple became her color—a non-verbal signification of her remarkable regal, and royalty. We salute our First Lady for being the ravishing woman outfitted in purple. —Geneva S. Thomas
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