Welcome to the Style Suite with Kéla Walker, your source for fashion and style trends for power plays in the workplace. Every Tuesday and Thursday, she’ll share tips and suggestions to help maximize your style on a budget. Whether you’re the style devil in Prada or the apprentice with limited apparel, you’ll find something in the Style Suite to suit your needs.
Girl crushes come and go, but nothing’s as enduring as America’s love for First Lady Michelle Obama. Her fashion choices and signature style often leave us drooling and lingering for more. I’ve featured a step by step guide on Michelle’s style here in the Style Suite before, but Mission: Mimic First Lady Style just got easier and more affordable.
A few years ago, Michelle made a few appearances in designer Sophie Theallet’s classic shirtdress. That dress has taken on a following of its own and is the inspiration behind a lines of dresses. Theallet teamed up with retail chain The Limited to recreate the First Lady favorite for the masses. The original designer dress costs more than $1,900, but The Limited version retails for $118 (and now on sale for $59).
Either way you look at it, that’s a great deal. Available in four colors, the dress has been for sale since earlier this month.  However, if you log on to TheLimited.com now you’ll find only two colors left on their cyber racks. If you ask me, the replica looks exactly like the original—maybe even better—and the contrasting satin collar on the affordable version is a nice touch to the classic piece.
Duplicate or not, the shirtdress is a no-brainier style choice in any woman’s wardrobe—something you’ll pull on time and time again just like our First Lady herself. Mission: Mimic First-Lady Style accomplished!
Kéla Walker is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated producer and TV host, who has contributed lifestyle and entertainment content for outlets including NBC’s LXTV, Getty Images, YRB Magazine, Madame Noire, and RTL Germany. She also has a passion for fashion and offers the latest in fab fashion trends and consumer deals with KelasKloset.com. Her chic style and trendsetting blog has been lauded by sites including Essence.com and Huffington Post Black Voices.