How Michelle Obama Styled an Hervé Léger Bandage Dress |Best Knockoff Luxury Clothing

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"Throwback within a throwback" is how Michelle Obama's longtime stylist, Meredith Koop, captioned an image of the former first lady's most recent outfit. Translation: The look has not one but two different reference points. First, it included the same brooch Obama donned at the Democratic National Convention in August 2008, three months before her husband was elected president. Second, as Koop also revealed in her caption, the color of her teal Hervé Léger bandage dress paid homage to Kailua Blue, the ocean-hued china dinnerware used for Obama-era White House state dinners. Michelle Obama personally chose the color and named it after a town in the president's home state of Hawaii.

Now that we've covered the fascinating backstory, let's get to the key styling choice that ensured Obama's outfit looked thoroughly modern. Hervé Léger bandage dresses peaked circa 2008, but adding the long-sleeve sheer layer under the dress made it look cool and contemporary. Don't you agree? Scroll down to see what Michelle Obama wore for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and compare it to her DNC look from 17 years ago.

December 2025

On Michelle Obama: Hervé Léger dress; Jimmy Choo shoes; Erickson Beamon brooch

August 2008

On Michelle Obama: Maria Pinto dress; Erickson Beamon brooch

Re-Create the Look

Free People

Josephina Sweater Top

HERVÉ LÉGER

The Bridget Dress

Ben-Amun

Multi-Stone Brooch

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Erin got her start as aBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.