Michelle Obama’s New Book Is a Fashionista’s Fantasy Reality

If scrolling through Michelle Obama’s outfit archive is your idea of self-care, clear some shelf space. Yesterday, the most fashionable first lady in American history announced a forthcoming book that will give readers a VIP tour of her closet and the inside scoop on the stories behind her most iconic looks.

Published by Crown and packed with more than 200 photographs—many newly unearthed—The Look retraces Obama’s sartorial evolution, from those early Senate-campaign silk scarves to the rose-gold Versace gown that melted the internet in 2016 and the Sergio Hudson plum pantsuit that stole Inauguration Day 2021. Along the way, she highlights the quieter power moves: Let’s Move! sneakers, bookstore-ready denim, the box braids that crowned her The Light We Carry tour, and every brooch, belt, and bolo tie that helped her amplify a larger message.

“This book is a celebration of fashion, but more importantly, a celebration of confidence, identity, and authenticity.”

But The Look is more than just fashion mood-board fodder. As Obama acknowledges in her Instagram caption for the book’s announcement, she has faced constant scrutiny for every aspect of her appearance—from the way she styles her hair to her (scandalous!) decision to wear a sleeveless dress for her first official portrait. In The Look, she is holding a mirror up to the culture that has ogled her and women like her for years. “This book is a celebration of fashion,” Obama writes in the introduction, “but more importantly, a celebration of confidence, identity, and authenticity and an inspiration to think deeply about how we choose to define style and beauty.”

In her foreword to the book, renowned literature and African American studies professor Farah Jasmine Griffin situates Obama’s personal experience within the broader cultural context and reminds us how style goes far deeper than appearances. When it comes to Obama, Griffin writes, “The look, like the woman, was bold, powerful, forward-looking, visionary, and empowering for everyone who dares to believe in the possibility of better tomorrows.”

This book, like the looks that fill its pages, is a collaboration between a dream team of fashion visionaries. Longtime stylist Meredith Koop explains the thinking behind some of the most memorable (and controversial) moments in Obama’s fashion journey, while makeup artist Carl Ray and hairstylists Yene Damtew and Njeri Radway offer behind-the-scenes commentary on what it takes to bring a look out of the dressing room and onto the national stage.

Preorders are available wherever books are sold, so consider your holiday gift list sorted—and your selfie game elevated.