At last, a fashionable first (lady)

The first inkling that something big was happening came on Monday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m.

I know this because I have a distinct memory of talking to my buddy from the Dallas Morning News as we plotted our strategy for that afternoon at New York Fashion Week. There were two fashion shows taking place at 2 p.m. on Monday: Diesel and something called Thakoon.

Thakoon?

"Thakoon Panichgul. He's the designer who Michelle Obama wore at the Democratic National Convention last month," my Dallas friend eagerly informed me as I nodded along, feigning knowledge. "Everyone's going to his show."

The woman who was not yet first lady was already causing a stir in the fashion world by choosing a dress by a young American designer to wear as her husband accepted his party's nomination. But that was nothing compared to what happened on Oct. 27, when Mrs. Obama appeared on "The Tonight Show" in a J. Crew cardigan, graphic tank top, and skirt. The day after she told Jay Leno where she purchased the ochre ensemble, J. Crew's Web traffic increased by 464 percent. J. Crew now has a dedicated page on its site featuring the outfit (under the snazzy heading "All politics aside, this outfit gets our vote").

"That's really a phenomenon," says Carl Sferrazza Anthony, historian for the National First Ladies' Library, who's written extensively about America's first ladies, and served as a speech writer and ghost writer for several of them. "It's really something that hasn't happened since Jackie Kennedy."

And that's just the tip of the stiletto. When Mrs. Obama showed up on "The View" in a $148 dress from Donna Ricco, the dress quickly sold out. Speculation is rampant on who she'll choose to design her inaugural gown. It's the first time in nearly 50 years that this kind of fuss has been made over the way a first lady dresses, Anthony says.

"Think about it," Anthony says. "Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Nixon, Mrs. Carter, Mrs. Reagan, Mrs. Clinton, and the Bush first ladies weren't really copied."

In fact, the only examples of first lady fashion influence that Anthony could cite in the past 40 years are Barbara Bush (for her pearls) and Betty Ford (for her scarves). Oh, there were also Hillary Clinton's headbands, but thankfully I don't recall a rush on them after the 1992 election.

But now it seems we have an incoming first lady wielding the influence and good taste of Oprah Winfrey, and regardless of politics, women seem eager to duplicate her look.

"With due respect to Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, after decades of matronly suits, it's refreshing to see the first lady-elect in fashion-forward looks," says Nicole Phelps, executive editor of Style.com. "She's got an independent sense of style and seems genuinely interested in clothes."

At this point, you probably suspect that I'm trying to make a case that Michelle Obama is the new Jackie Kennedy. But I think Mrs. Obama's fashion influence shows that women are looking for realistic style role models. A steady diet of MTV star Lauren Conrad and Cheryl Burke of "Dancing With the Stars" doesn't provide much inspiration for day-to-day fashion. This clamoring for ideas could explain why Sarah Palin's "Little Aqua Net on the Prairie" coiffure was a surprise hit during the campaign.

"In some ways we've wanted there to be a first lady who is interested in clothes for years," says Elle magazine fashion market director Joann Pailey. "What I think can make Michelle Obama so influential in fashion is that she has a sensibility that's younger and more modern. She can wear designers like Thakoon and Narciso [Rodriguez], yet speak to a more mature audience."

She's also not afraid to take sartorial chances, although not all of them are successful. When her husband made his victory speech in Chicago, Mrs. Obama wore a red Rodriguez dress, but then topped it with a cardigan. Not a wise move. But the fact that she was wearing a blazing red and black frock, and not a standard-issue Washington Stepford wife skirt and suit jacket, was a refreshing change.

"I think she'll use fashion as a voice, and not in a passive way," Pailey says. "I think she'll also use her role to help promote up-and-coming American designers."

And that, my friends, is change I can believe in.

Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com.