Michelle Obama picks purple for Japan state dinner
It was Michelle Obama's third dress of the day and it was a wowser: Purple — intense purple — embroidered feathers, frothy tulle, plunging neckline.
The first lady chose a stunning gown by Japanese-born designer Tadashi Shoji for Tuesday night's state dinner for Japan honoring Prime MInister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe.
With President Obama and Prime Minister Abe in the traditional tuxes, and Mrs. Abe in a silky black gown with a sweetheart neckline, Mrs. Obama definitely stood out.
Earlier in the day, Mrs. O wore another Tadashi Shoji frock, a multi-color floral lace long-sleeved dress with a sheer banded inset, for a school visit with Mrs. Abe to Great Falls, Va.
Plus, for the morning welcoming ceremony, she donned a Monique Lhuillier coat-and-dress outfit that glowed with hints of watery colors.
Guests were arriving for the dinner, and they included a few boldfaced names:
George Takei, of Star Trek fame, was there with his husband Brad Takei.
Shonda Rhimes, of Scandal fame (and a host of other hot TV dramas), was there, accompanied by Scott Brown (not the ex-U.S. senator from Massachusetts).
And Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, was there, accompanied by Ciara Harris.
It's only the eighth state dinner of the Obama administration; at least one more is planned for this year.
For this dinner, the Obamas are showing off the new modern-design Obama State China Service in what the first lady calls "Kailua Blue," inspired by the waters off the president's home state of Hawaii.
The menu, with Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto (of Iron Chef fame) as the guest chef, is a fusion of Japanese and American cuisine, including American Wagyu Beef, soup made from Japanese vegetables from Mrs. Obama's White House kitchen garden, and for dessert a cheesecake-style silken tofu custard cake.
And the entertainment will feature cast members of the film adaption of the hit Broadway musical, Jersey Boys,which recently won awards in Japan for best foreign language film.