Simon Doonan – the Creative Ambassador for Barney’s luxury department store – clarified his comments about the First Lady who he says has much more to offer than fashionable outfits.
This past Monday, E! News reported that Doonan had made a rather surprising comment that he didn’t think Michelle Obama was chic.
He said, “She dresses appropriately, I don’t think of her as chic. As a public servant you can never appear to be chic. You need to look kind.”
Naturally, this statement dropped a few jaws since the First Lady is perhaps most recognized for her impeccable style.
This, in fact, seems to be Doonan’s issue, according to an update by the Huffington Post.
The fashion expert says his words were misinterpreted and he seized the opportunity to clarify what he meant.
Doonan said, “Michelle Obama is the best First Lady that we’ve ever had and that’s for three reasons: it’s because she’s warm, intelligent and very strong. This relentless focus on her clothing is easier because it’s physical, whereas the things I’m talking about are more abstract so it requires people to work a bit harder.”
Doonan continued, “She always looks drop-dead gorgeous, glamorous, stylish, always. She’s never put a foot wrong. She always looks perfection. But I think, in a way, it’s disrespectful to only keep talking about her personal style.”
Doonan believes the word “chic” is tricky because it’s usually applied to a woman whose only useful quality is her fashion sense, which doesn’t exactly describe Obama.
“The fact is she is chic. She's always perfectly turned out, she's always stylish. She's 10 out of 10 in every department. But what makes her remarkable and what makes her the best First Lady we've had in generations is the fact that…she has them all. She has strength, warmth and intelligence.”