The Look was Michelle Obama’s idea, of course. From the way her longtime stylist Meredith Koop tells it, the stunning new book about the former first lady’s White House style wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
“It’s been in the ether for a while,” Koop tells me over the phone about the idea for The Look, which is out now via Penguin Random House. “And obviously, me being the fashion person, I was involved in it.”
During her eight years in the White House, Obama avoided talking about her style so her clothing wouldn’t be a “distraction” from the many initiatives she championed during her time as first lady. That silence didn’t stop fashion media, however, from devouring every look. And through it all Koop has been her sartorial secret weapon. She’s worked with Obama since the earliest days of her husband’s presidency, when Koop says there was a “hyperfixation” on the first lady’s presentation, and has continued to help shape her style during her post–White House career as a speaker, author, producer, and yes, fashion icon.
“Being the first lady is a very, very rare position to be in,” Koop says. “There are very few of them, and having this peek inside of that world is so interesting. To me, The Look is a historical document.”
Courtesy of Penguin Random House
Elena Mudd
Within the first lady’s staff, Koop says, her role was a unique one. “There is one position that a first lady can fill with a person of her choosing. It could be child care, it could be a gardener, or it could be some assistant that they want to bring along with them. It could be anybody. And that person was me.”
As such, Koop was a bit of a one-woman show (not accounting for tailor Christy Rilling, who came in from New York for fittings with the first lady). Koop was responsible for conducting research, calling in clothing, presenting her vision to Obama, and then executing the final look with all the alterations and preparation that were needed. One of the most important, and most unpredictable, aspects of the job was what she calls risk assessment. And no, that doesn’t mean the potential for a wardrobe malfunction.
The first lady’s stylist is responsible for thinking through every possible scenario that could occur, from changes in the weather to an unforeseen national tragedy. “If you planned on wearing something bright and fun, maybe you’re going to make a different choice because of the political climate or the tone of what’s happening in current events,” she says. “Those are all things that had to be considered.”