Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesMichelle Obama went out in style.
For the First Lady's final State of the Union appearance in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, the 51-year-old modeled a marigold wool crepe dress by Narciso Rodriguez. Michelle, 51, was seated in the House of Representatives gallery, where she received a warm welcome from attendees.
Michelle's sleeveless banded dress sold out online before the night was over. The look was originally priced at $2,095 at Neiman Marcus, but was later reduced to a more affordable $628.
The First Lady famously wore Narciso Rodriguez when President Barack Obama was elected in 2008. Past designers who have dressed the First Lady for appearances at Barack's State of the Union addresses include Michael Kors in 2015, Azzedine Alaïa in 2014, Jason Wu in 2013, Barbara Tfank in 2012, Rachel Roy in 2011, Isaac Mizrahi in 2010 and Narciso Rodriguez in 2009.
During a fashion workshop for students at the East Room in the White House in October 2014, Michelle explained why fashion is about so much more than which clothes a person wears. "When it comes to the fashion industry, so often people think it's all about catwalks and red carpets and 'who wore it best,' and whether some famous person wore the right belt with the right shoes—like I'd know what that's like," the First Lady joked. "But the truth is that the clothes you see in the magazine covers are really just the finished product in what is a very long very complicated and very difficult process, as I've come to learn working with many designers."
"What most people don't realize is that there are so many different aspects to this industry. Whether it's business marketing or technology and manufacturing, even agriculture that produces the wool and the cotton that ultimately becomes our clothes, it's a big, complicated industry," Michelle told the students. "The industry is also a huge contributor to this economy."
"But for so many of you—whether you're already in the industry or aspiring to be there some day—I know that in the end, fashion is really about passion and creativity. Just like music or dance or poetry, it's what drives you. It's what gets you out of bed each morning. It's what you write about in essays in school and what you read about in the news. It occupies every ounce of your daily lives," she continued. "I know this because with creative people, that's what their passion does—it makes everything else worthwhile."
"Fashion is about so much more than just a pretty pair of pumps or the perfect hemline. For so many people across the country, it is a calling, it is a career, and it's a way they feed their families," Michelle said. "So, that's why we thought it was important to bring the industry to the White House, and to share it with all of you who are coming up in the next generation."
And while none of those students will be able to dress Michelle for yet another State of the Union appearance, who knows? One of them just might design something for a future First Lady.