Michelle Obama Delivered Her Impassioned Plea In a Practical Theory Pantsuit

Michelle Obama knows she draws a crowd, but at a rally in Michigan over the weekend where she stumped for and then introduced Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, she dressed for success while making it clear that Harris was the main event.

On Saturday evening, Obama spoke ahead of Harris at a Kalamazoo, Michigan rally, dressed unlike we’ve seen her in recent years. This is the first time Obama has joined the campaign trail as a speaker since her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August, and this was not the same joyful warrior, clad in an armor-like navy blue Monse ensemble, that we saw in Chicago. Nor was this the jewel-toned, J.Crew-wearing Obama of her White House years, exuding capability and playfulness at the same time, accessibility and practicality all at once, a working mom in an extraordinary job. Nor was Saturday’s Obama the same one we saw on her book tour in 2018, unmissable in canary-yellow Balenciaga and glittering thigh-high boots.

The former first lady took the stage wearing tortoiseshell-printed pantsuit separates by RTW brand Theory over a black silk top, paired with black pumps. She wore her braided hair pulled back into a long, thick plait, and kept her makeup minimal. Her deep blue manicure and bejeweled hoop earrings were her only concession to whimsy of any type, perhaps a nod to the Democratic Party’s signature color, perhaps just plain color theory rationality to add some interest among all those neutrals.

It’s no mistake that we haven’t seen Obama stumping for Harris for nearly two months: She’s known to be something of a reluctant campaigner, despite her obvious talents as a speaker and popularity with the public. When Obama steps out, then, we know that she means it, and her frank remarks in Michigan, reflective of the fear and disbelief that many feel living through the third Donald Trump candidacy in as many elections, showed that.

“Why on earth is this race even close?” Obama asked the assembled crowd. “I lay awake at night wondering what in the world is going on.”

She implored the masses, over and over again, to “do something,” and highlighted the double standard to which Harris is held.

“Now, don’t get me wrong, voters have every right to ask hard questions of any candidate seeking office,” she said. “But can someone tell me why we are, once again, holding Kamala to a higher standard than her opponent?” Harris, she said, is asked to “prove time and time again that she belongs.”

“But for Trump, we expect nothing at all, no understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals. Instead, too many people are willing to write off his childish, mean-spirited antics by saying, ‘Trump is just being Trump.’ Rather than question his horrible behavior, some folks think he’s funny.”

Obama said flat-out that she “hates politics” in her speech. This is work for her, and necessary work at that. She’s doing it because she has to, a duty in service of this country’s democracy, not because she wants to.

That Obama and her longtime stylist, Meredith Koop, chose Theory for this appearance is telling. The label was co-founded in 1997 by former Calvin Klein exec Andrew Rosen and designer Elie Tahari with the idea of creating sleek workwear for women, more comfortable than other competitors due to premium stretch fabrics, but without the more casual look that can accompany those more pliable designs. On Theory’s website, the brand self-describes, “We believe cool, expertly tailored pieces made from the best materials have the power to change the way we feel, improve the way we work, and inspire the way we live.” All that is to say: You can push up these sleeves and do what you need to do without worrying that you’re going to suffer a wardrobe malfunction. Bespoke? Hardly. Appropriate? Very.

Obama’s separates communicate unfussed competence and femininity. Further, in addition to a pattern being more interesting than a staid black suit (a never in Obama’s closet, as even during a recent appearance at the Albie Awards she embellished an all-black tuxedo look with gleaming oversized safety pins for a bit of edge), tortoiseshell gives a hint of that horn-rimmed glasses wearing authority. This is a woman who is here to tell the truth without varnish.

Which is exactly what Obama did on Saturday, sharing her frustration “that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump’s gross incompetence, while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn,” and anger that “we are indifferent to his erratic behavior, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slum lord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse, all of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do, y’all.”

She urged those thinking about voting for Trump or abstaining from the election altogether to “snap out of whatever fog we’re in.”

She listed in devastating detail just some of the myriad ways that a woman can die during childbirth, and then pointed to the one candidate who would work to secure reproductive rights.

“There is the tragic but very real possibility that in the worst-case scenario, you just might be the one holding flowers at the funeral,” she told men in the crowd, highlighting the consequences of restrictive laws around women’s bodies, and the way their impact spreads far beyond one life. “You might be the one left to raise your children alone.”

“Are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them that you supported this assault on our safety?” she asked.

She didn’t soften her blunt message of the dire importance of the election when she turned to again address the women in the crowd.

“To the women listening, we have every right to demand that the men in our lives do better by us,” she said. “We have to use our voices to make these choices clear to the men that we love. Our lives are worth more than their anger and disappointment. We are more than just baby-making vessels.”

And for those who feel like they’re seen as such, she reminded them, their vote is still their own.

“If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter,” she said. “Regardless of the political views of your partner, you get to choose, you get to use your judgment and cast your vote for yourself and the women in your life. Remember women, standing up for what is best for us can make the difference in this election.”

And despite her extraordinary life, Michelle Obama, largely unadorned and wearing a suit that you could buy online today, stood in that spotlight and told the world that she was frustrated and scared and angry, appealing to the crowd on an individual, human level—not apart from them, but one of them, facing the same frightening possibilities of the future, and working to change it.