White House | Black Market Gets Michelle O Boost

August 11, 2009

It seems anything Michelle Obama touches these days turns to gold. White House | Black Market is no exception. The clothing store, which gained major popularity last year when the first lady wore one of its $148 print dresses on The View, is one of the few companies increasing its ad spending this Fall. No word on the exact budget, but we do know that its ads, featuring model Siri Tollerød (left), will run in September issues of InStyle, Vogue, Elle, Lucky, Vanity Fair, and Harper’s Bazaar. They will also appear on NYC buses, bus shelters, and a billboard near the brand’s Flatiron location. What's more, the brand may expand its retail presence in Manhattan. Good luck!

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13 Comments

lilkimbo 3 years 39 weeks

Sloane, I didn't say that Michelle Obama doesn't have any kind of influence in the fashion industry. Your level of fervor in defending her is hilarious, though. :rotfl: I love the fact that people get so worked up when anything that isn't 100% positive is said about the Obamas. And it's not that it's not good enough for me to read, it's that, like I said, it's a biased source, so no, I didn't bother to read it. If you wanted something to be taken seriously as a fashion article, why not post the WWD article in the first place? Nothing you have said disputes my original point, that there is no direct evidence that Michelle Obama is what caused the jump in sales (and increase in advertising budget) for White House/Black Market.

lilkimbo 3 years 39 weeks

Sloane, I didn't say that Michelle Obama doesn't have any kind of influence in the fashion industry. Your level of fervor in defending her is hilarious, though. :rotfl: I love the fact that people get so worked up when anything that isn't 100% positive is said about the Obamas. And it's not that it's not good enough for me to read, it's that, like I said, it's a biased source, so no, I didn't bother to read it. If you wanted something to be taken seriously as a fashion article, why not post the WWD article in the first place?Nothing you have said disputes my original point, that there is no direct evidence that Michelle Obama is what caused the jump in sales (and increase in advertising budget) for White House/Black Market.

sloane220 3 years 39 weeks

white house/black market is one of the FEW companies that is INCREASING their advertising budget this year. when your profile is raised to international discourse and mentioned in the same article as versace http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-by-versace-candidate-inspires-donatellas-new-style-852847.html (fourth paragraph) due to michelle obama wearing your clothes, you're able to do things like that.

sloane220 3 years 39 weeks

@lilkimbo-lmao...what? did you even read the article? because it's from the huffington post, it's automatically not good enough for you to read? well, if you did read it, you would see that the article simply reiterates what the women's wear daily article says, a penultimate resource of information regarding the fashion industry. http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/major-designers-wait-for-first-ladys-call-2090453?src=bblast/040309. i hope it's neutral enough for you. the article SPECIFICALLY refers to jason wu and isabel toledo as SMALL fashion house that received an overall boost in publicity and in turn sales thanks to MICHELLE OBAMA WEARING THEIR CLOTHING. larger fashion houses, with more famous and more established american designers were PERTURBED that michelle obama WASN'T wearing their clothing for that because they wanted the INFLUENCE she has to give THEM same kind boost in publicity and sales during a recession. the article also explicity mentions that an item of clothing she wore from j.crew selling out, and references her being one of the first First Ladies to wear sportswear like donna ricco, who designed the dress for white house/black market. she has DEFINITIVELY has some kind of influence on the fashion idustry and raised the profile of whatever companies clothing she wore. i don't know what other proof you need.

lilkimbo 3 years 39 weeks

Also, guessing that she might have had something to do with the success isn't the same thing as providing evidence that she had something to do with the success.

lilkimbo 3 years 39 weeks

Sorry, sloane, I don't consider a HuffPo article to be a reliable, unbiased source. And Toledo and Wu were famous and successful long before most people had even heard of Michelle Obama.

lilkimbo 3 years 39 weeks

Sorry, sloane, I don't consider a HuffPo article to be a reliable, unbiased source. And Toledo and Wu were famous and successful long before most people had even heard of Michelle Obama.

sloane220 3 years 39 weeks

@lilkimbo- she not only put designers like jason wu and isabel toledo on the map, she had oscar de la renta and major fashion designers angry that she didn't wear more of their clothes often? why? because they needed a boost in sales. why? BECAUSE OF HER INFLUENCE ON THE AMERICAN BUYING PUBLIC. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/03/oscar-de-la-renta-slams-m_n_182807.html. the clothing she has worn from j.crew and white house/ black market have sold out. i don't think it's THAT much of a stretch to surmise she had SOMETHING to do with black house/ white market's increased popularity this year.

lilkimbo 3 years 40 weeks

White House/Black Market has been gaining in popularity for years. There's really no evidence that any of this success is a result of Michelle Obama.