Michelle Obama's hairstylist: Scores development deal for reality show.

Former Chicagoan Johnny Wright has styled the first lady's coif for the Democratic National Convention, her upcoming appearance on the cover of Vogue magazine and other occasions. He has signed a deal with 44 Blue, which produces such reality shows as Style Network's "Split Ends" and A&E's "L.A. Gang Unit."

44 Blue executive vp Stephanie Drachkovitch said she discovered Wright while searching for a reality host.

"There aren't many people of color doing makeover and beauty shows," she said. "We figured there's got to be somebody out there with a mainstream clientele, but brings a different point of view."

Enter Wright, who moved to Los Angeles recently and also has worked on Vivica A. Fox, Rebecca Gayheart, Lauren London and Candace Bushnell, among others. Drachkovitch said she was impressed with the hairstylist's personality before she knew his Obama connection.

"We fell in love with him before we knew," she said. "There's a lot of hairstylists out there who do celebrities, but they can't center a show."

Drachkovitch soon will shop her pitch to cable networks as a docusoap or a makeover series. The well-timed Obama connection doesn't hurt.

"She has certainly emerged as a style icon," Drachkovitch said of the first lady. "She has everyday beauty mixed with elegance. It certainly raises (Wright's) profile."

Johnny met the first lady by chance and as he puts it "It kind of happened on a whim, and I’ve been doing her hair now for a year. My agent out in New York booked me for her Ebony magazine shoot, and she liked it so much that she had her people book me.

You know, I’ve been doing hair since I was 12 years old and I never thought that I would be in that type of world. Before this, I didn’t do anything about politics. I look at it as a blessing, because I pay attention much more now. I feel like I’m much more educated on how things go just from being with her and following the campaign.

Isabel Toledo designs First Lady's Dress

Michelle Obama looks particularly chic today in a pale yellow gown by designer Isabel Toledo.

President Obama: "Hope Over Fear"

Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday afternoon, banishing forever more than 200 years of history during which the office passed from white hands to white hands and promising a new era of “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”


What an amazing inaugural address....
Khush

Although the world now knows that President-elect Barack Obama will wear a Hart Schaffner Marx single-button, notch-lapel tuxedo for the evening festivities on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, that isn’t stopping others from lining up for the role of the administration’s First Tailor. So WWD asked men’s designers what they thought the new president should wear on his historic day.

With his lanky 6-foot, 2-inch frame, basketball-toned physique and sophisticated élan, Barack Obama has all the makings of a presidential style icon. With endless references to John F. Kennedy, designers are eagerly anticipating a return to Camelot-era glamour. But Obama has cultivated a style all his own. Kennedy was a product of the East Coast establishment and its preppy, New England aesthetic, while the President-elect has humbler roots — albeit roots that led him to Columbia and Harvard (Kennedy’s alma mater). Indeed, Obama’s style tends to reflect his political philosophy: practical but carefully considered; modern but accessible.

While JFK was said to be horrified when he appeared on the cover of GQ — he didn’t want to be seen as fashion-conscious — Obama has happily appeared on the covers of GQ, Esquire, Men’s Vogue and even Men’s Health (with all his clothes on). “This is the first president in a very long time that has a great body for clothing,” noted Duckie Brown’s Steven Cox and Daniel Silver. “Because that’s true, he can wear a more modern, slim silhouette.”

For Obama’s big day on Jan. 20 on the steps of the Capitol, designers mostly see him in updated yet classic sartorial style. Tommy Hilfiger envisions a patriotic color combo of a navy blue suit, white shirt and red tie, while Brioni advocates for the iconic three-piece gray flannel suit, with an Italian twist: double vents. Of course, with men’s wear, it’s all about the subtle details, so Paul Smith edges his suit lapels with black grosgrain tape, and Kenneth Cole suggests a Fifties-era — but chic again — tie bar. Come evening and the inaugural balls, Rag & Bone and Dsquared want Obama to don a full-on tuxedo with tails, but Savile Row’s Richard James really pushes the envelope with a sequined tuxedo jacket.

Interestingly, none of the designers include that pesky campaign issue in their sketches: an American flag lapel pin.

Michelle's Inauguration Dress: Marc Jacobs, Christian Lacroix, And Others Offer Their Ideas

Who says these are bleak times? On one matter at least, designers are positively euphoric. That is the Obama presidency, a two-part point of light. While much of the glee centers around the President-elect and his policies, Michelle Obama radiates a powerful style all her own. So step aside, Angelina. You too, Madonna, not to mention the bevy of pop tarts, gossip girls, "High School Musical" grads and even potential Oscar divas, now all suddenly second-tier. The American fashion industry hasn't had a catch this big since, well, since another icon of Democratic chic took up residency on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1961.

For the big guns at least, dressing Michelle may prove even more of a challenge, since her chic is more lowercase democratic than was Jackie's. Throughout the campaign, the first lady-to-be has avoided all major names save Narciso Rodriguez, while showing a proclivity for locals (Chicago's Maria Pinto), young types (Thakoon; Jason Wu) and cost-conscious labels (Donna Ricco; J. Crew).

Nevertheless, just about everyone yearns to dress Michelle, who could raise the profile of American fashion around the world. Yet with the exception of Maria Cornejo, her current favorites, as well as a few majors, declined WWD's request for sketches. Some are loath to presume to offer unsolicited advice, while others, it seems, are definitely in the Inaugural sweepstakes and prefer, or have been asked, to keep their participation low-pro.

But plenty more happily offered their visions for Michelle and her charming first daughters, for the big day and evening events of Jan. 20.





Khush Singh