First lady fashion: Michelle Obama’s Brit-style bonanza

It was Obama-time in London where the first lady received mostly rave reviews for her style, and wore clothes from a wide variety of designers, in many cases giving a diplomatic nod to the Brits. 

First up, her one blooper, a minty floral frock from Barbara Tfank topped by the designer’s pink swing jacket. Not a fave of the British press who reportedly compared the rather mumsy ensemble to something the queen would wear – yikes! And no matter what she wore, well, it’s hard to be in the same room as the former Kate Middleton these days, and reports claim that the new princess’ $340 Shola bandage dress (beige, tight and wooo-hooo above the knee) from fashion shop Reiss, created such a frenzy on the company website that it crashed…twice. 

But cheerio, we think the first lady looked swell in all her other choices:  

-- A vibrant purple number from designer Roksanda Ilincic (Serbian born, London-based) topped by a royal blue Narciso Rodriguez coat for her meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha. 

-- Tom Ford’s absolutely killer ivory gown with gloves! This she wore to the evening’s state banquet at Buckingham Palace – stunning. The fabulous Ford is a much-heralded American designer with headquarters in London.  

-- At a barbecue where she helped serve U.K. and U.S. military families with Samantha Cameron, Obama broke out her go-to designer Tracy Reese. The feminine yet crisp dress, in black and white, featured a geometric print and sheer top and a sparkly beaded belt.  

-- The house of Alexander McQueen has been getting its fair share of attention these days (uh, yeah, like the royal wedding gown) and Obama is a fan as well. She looked thoroughly modern as she addressed students at the University of Oxford in sleek black pants topped by an Alexander McQueen Victorian bustle pique blouse and an ivory double buckle western belt – both from the 2011 Spring/Summer collection. Jolly good.