Meredith Koop styled Michelle Obama during the book tour. (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP)
If you have watched Becoming, the Netflix documentary on Michelle Obama, you must have noticed Meredith Koop. The one-and-a-half hour documentary sheds light on the life of the former First Lady, her book tour to promote Becoming, the constant scrutiny she was subjected to, and the shoes which were always talked about even when she was making an impassioned speech. In this context, her stylist Meredith Koop plays a big role.
Introduced later in the documentary, Koop, who is seen holding a blush-pink jacket embellished with stones, remarks, “She is not a minimalist. When I look at this suit, I do see Elvis,” adding, “and I don’t have a problem with that.” This one throwaway moment is telling us of Michelle’s sartorial choices and also how far back the two go.
According to a report in The Town & Country, Michelle met Koop when the latter was working at Ikram Goldman’s boutique. Goldman played a huge role in shaping the fashion legacy of Michelle Obama and had a hand in her wearing that famous white Jason Wu dress at the January 2009 inauguration.
Much of how Koop worked was an extension of the foundation laid by Goldman. All the dresses worn by Michelle during her book tour were styled by Koop. In an interview with Vogue, she recollected the White House years and said, “I had to learn on a few occasions the hard way to practice restraint and be more risk averse. I couldn’t really approach the styling like, ‘Oh, this is so fabulous, this is beautiful.’ That wasn’t the primary goal.”
But things are starkly different during the book tour as witnessed in the documentary. There are sequins, embellished boots and shirts and multi-hued blazer pants. “The book tour was a completely different energy, and there was more of an opportunity to breathe and experiment and try new things,” she mentioned in the same interview.
One particular outfit which really stands out is a yellow wrap dress styled with sparkly boots from Balenciaga. The thigh-high metallic boots did steal the show and is a high point in the documentary, showing people around visibly gasp in admiration. There are lots of whites, such as a sheer off-shoulder shirt paired with matching pants. There is also a custom Stella McCartney jumpsuit she is seen wearing in one instance.
In the same interview with Vogue, Koop also says that she is working on some book ideas and is invested in bringing inclusivity in fashion.