Meredith Koop has been responsible for creating everlasting memories of Michelle Obama’s style since the moment Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. At a time when all eyes were on the former first family, particularly because they were the first Black family in the White House, it was Koop who helped to change the conversation, one look at a time.
“When someone goes and works in the White House, it’s not a casual thing. I am taking this seriously, because it is serious. I did not want to be the person to bring negativity to that space, with all of the pressures, with all of the criticism, with them being the first — with all that it was more important again to just find that place where fashion wasn’t necessarily the hot topic of the day,” says Koop.
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Koop ultimately made her way to Chicago and into the doors of the high-end clothing boutique, Ikram, where the opportunity of a lifetime would soon follow. Koop details her early days of getting started with Michelle Obama in The Look, which highlights the former first lady’s supreme style.
Koop spoke with Vanity Fair to share details on what that time was like behind the scenes and how she narrowed down her favorite looks for this highly anticipated book release.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Vanity Fair: How did the idea for this book come about?
Meredith Koop: This was really Michelle’s desire and wish. I call her Michelle. She has been wanting to do this for a while and I think it was on that list of things she wanted to check off. To address this aspect of both her time in the White House and then over time it became apparent that the time outside of the White house was also quite exciting in terms of fashion, hair, and beauty and being able to play a little bit more.
When you were getting started in dressing Michelle, what was your mode in discovering designers?
The thing is, I’ve always had that interest and curiosity, even when I was not working adjacently in fashion. Coming up, I learned a lot working at Ikram and being exposed to folks that had been doing that. I think things have changed a lot in the retail space, as it stands today, but at that time, the way that things were in that store, we were fully engaged. We were looking at all the shows, talking about all of them; pieces come in and you see them in person; you’re working with the clients, you’re explaining to them. I knew about designers because I had read about them, but it was different when I was interacting in a space with others and with clients. And once the internet comes along, you can get all of the information you want. You don’t have to be front row at a fashion show to see a collection. That’s really how I worked leading up to my time before I even met Michelle or even had a sense of anything and then in the White House as well.
Were there any styles or designers that you had to convince Michelle to wear? Were there any looks she was ever skeptical about?
She is pretty open-minded, in a way, and she’s also really practical. She’s not going to do something where she can’t move, super uncomfortable or she’s super hot. She’s very interested in, “What’s the weather?”, “What’s the venue?”, “Who’s going to be there?” My philosophy is like, let’s see what the potential in a garment is. Even in this last photo shoot that came out, I had Jason Wu make this beautiful dress from his most recent collection and she just didn’t feel great in it and wasn’t really open to exploring it, which made me extremely sad. So after the fitting, I took the dress and I was just thinking, how can we make this work because I really wanted Jason to be included in this—he’s an amazing designer, his work is solid, and the dress is beautiful. We ended up turning the dress into a top and pairing it with some sort of reconstructed jeans from Sami Miro and she eventually got on board. But what I do is, I convince, I prepare, and then I also prepare to be disappointed.
In the book you mention that you never got attached to anything. That’s hard to do, I can imagine.
It is only because the attachment isn’t about that fashion has to be this or that. That is not necessarily how I feel. Although I do admire and really truly respect so many houses, designers, and brands, it’s not so much about the parts of fashion that are glamorous and flashy. It’s just more about what can work for her, right? Woman to woman, I don’t want to make another person uncomfortable, especially a client. There are limits. I kind of know where I can push her and where I need to just say, okay, we’re just going to do what works, because it’s more important for her to be comfortable than to be a fashion plate.
Are there any standout looks that were your favorite?
In working on this book, I pretty much went back and looked at every photo, which was quite a journey. There wasn’t space to include literally every outfit she’s ever worn, because there were so many. I always say the standout for me was the Versace gown at the Italian state dinner, just because I loved the construction, the message, the history of that house, and the way it looked on her. It was sexy, it was cool, it was current. I loved the fact that they were able to accommodate a rose gold request. There are definitely other gowns that I loved. Like day-to-day, a great Dries Van Noten dress for an event in the East Room or a Narciso Rodriguez dress. Zac Posen made these two beautiful suits that were this wonderful fabric— I just loved those suits, they were so chic.
There were great moments that were created with the designers you chose to work with. Would you say that there were any designers that you and Michelle put on the map? And how did you go about choosing certain designers over others?
So that’s an interesting question, because even with Jason Wu—Jason had a business. Jason’s clothes were being sold in stores before inauguration. Back then, the market for clothing was very different. The way people were buying clothing was very different, especially from American designers. So I would never say, “we put someone on the map.” I think it was just more that the exposure level was so much bigger and so very specific and unique. Not only because it’s a first lady, but because it was First Lady Michelle Obama. It hit different, for sure. It almost legitimized [designers] even in some of their own homes or with some of our own families to have these historical moments. I think that goes back to a lot of what she stands for, what that administration stood for at the time.
With working with and choosing designers, there were a lot of different considerations. It’s not just, “oh these are great clothes, let’s wear these clothes.” Particularly in an industry that really caters to sample sizes. I was always looking for people that could design for different body types, who understood how to make clothes for women’s bodies, not for just one particular narrow vision of what a woman’s body could be. That being said, I really took a democratic approach and I tried to work with as many people as I could. I’m almost positive that I worked with more designers, and she wore more designers than any other first lady in history, which I think alone says a lot about the approach and what that really meant. It really indicated that things were possible because they were. We tried to spread the love.
What do you think about the effect that you both created with the way that women looked at clothing and the way that women dress – from Michelle’s use of color, accessories, and just the overall styling, it was all so amazing to witness her time in the White House and to now. But what do you think about the everlasting impact that you and her created with your approach to style and design?
What I observe is that the impact carries on. The way she approached being first lady was very much like a working woman. She came in there and she was like “I’m here to do a job and I know how to do this job because I have this experience from my work history so I’m going to approach it like that.” So every time you saw her, of course at teas, banquets, and state dinners, you saw her doing the work and I think a lot of women were inspired by that.
Now, I always tell her as she is 61 years old, “you are hot, do you understand?!” Throughout all of these years I’ve just been really in admiration of that. When I dress her, when I’m styling her, I don’t look at her and go, “okay, what would a 61-year-old woman wear?” I go, “what does a vibrant, cool, and sexy woman want to wear or what feels good to her as a person?”
How would you say that her style has evolved from the White House to now?
When you’re the first lady in the United States, at least in her case, there are just things you need to consider and think about as being sort of almost like a representative, a diplomat of that position. So I think that from then to now, certainly things are more open. Certainly things can be a bit more edgy, a little bit more bold. That’s very clear. As we look back at these photos and talk about these times, she likes the way she looks in all of it. From sheath dresses to the full-denim looks, to the gowns, all of it. I think it has become a little bit more bold and current. But that being said, I don’t want to discount or act like what she wore in the White House wasn’t at all aligned with who she is. It was just a different moment, a different time, and a different role, and now we can kind of open up and do things a little bit more without any rules.
The post Michelle Obama’s Longtime Stylist, Meredith Koop, Reflects on the First Lady’s Style From the White House to Now appeared first on Vanity Fair.
