Obama-rama

Barack Obama was this week announced as the man set to become the 44th president of the United States and the country's first black president.

Michelle Obama was this week announced as the woman set to become the first African-American first lady and the country's most controversial fashionista.

Opting to wear this distinctive red and black Narciso Rodriguez dress for her husband's victory speech, Michelle has solidly stamped herself on the world fashion radar.

Debate raged across the continent about that dress.

Commenting on a New York Times blog, Aeolis suggested to Michelle that it "looked like Cindy McCain (Wife of Republican Presidential candidate John McCain) attacked you with a bottle of cranberry juice".

Stumble R02 wrote that although she didn't like the dress, "I'm glad she didn't wear some lame pastel & pearls number. Michelle is too good for that."

Neoprep conversely remarked that the dress was "an inspired choice by a beautiful, confident woman that bucks conventional politico dressing".

Agence France-Presse published speculation from world news reports about the symbolism of the use of red and black for the outfits of the Obama family.

They reported that Italian newspaper La Stampa "dubbed the dress 'the look of victory' and said the black symbolised mourning for Obama's grandmother, who died on the eve of the election, while the red was for passion".

A German news source Focus suggested the red was symbolic for the political left and that the black was representative of Obama's title as the country's first African-American President.

Commenting on Good Morning America about her blooming style status, Michelle said she finds the attention hard to deal with.

"I’m kind of a tomboy jock at heart, but I like to look nice," she said.

"But it’s odd, you know? I mean this is all interesting."