Public scrutiny is nothing new for First Ladies.  This sleeveless dress worn by Mamie Eisenhower for her official portrait in 1953 also caught media attention. Lest you think the baring of arms is some kind of Democratic affiliation, Mamie was the wife of a Republican.

Mamie was known for her outgoing manner and especially her love of fashion and jewelry.  She was a popular hostess during her husband’s term at the White House as we suspect Michelle will be as well.  From a diplomatic standpoint, this is a good thing.

Imagine if Michelle Obama were to wear something as revealing as Dolley Madison’s choice in 1809.  And we think the styles are slutty today? Oddly enough, the “girls” look like they are defying gravity on their own without the benefit of a corset. Maybe this is what prompted former First Lady, Abigail Adams, snide remark that she looked like a “nursing mother”.

Francis Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland, was also partial to sleeveless gowns, prompting the Women’s Christian Temperance Union to circulate a petition in 1988 trying to get her to cover up. They believed she was an immoral influence on young girls. Yeah, well, that didn’t work because she continued to keep showing some skin and her style was widely copied by other women.

Mamie led the way in the armsgate controversy with Jackie Kennedy continuing the trend in the early 60s.

That was the style in the day and Jackie wore it like it was a uniform. Her look was considered to by classy and elegant, emulated by women all over America. Such is the power of dress! After being criticized for her penchant for French design, she took up with American designer, Oleg Cassini who produced more than 300 outfits for Jackie. It is said that her clothing bill far exceeded the President’s salary, but was paid for by her father in law, Joseph P. Kennedy.

In today’s world it is not uncommon for designers to send gifts to celebrities so they’ll wear the gown on the red carpet. Should this be the case for First Ladies? Who pays for Michelle’s wardrobe? The simple black Michael Kors dress Michelle wore for her official portrait retails for $3,195 but her dress was custom made especially for her. Such was probably the case for Jackie too but history tells us they weren’t freebies.

Remember the New Energy for America Plan from the campaign trail?

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

• Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.

• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

So, what kind of energy was used to make this dress and transport it into the hands of Ms. Obama? The retail version sells for $3,195 so it’s from Italy. Three grand for a LBD?? Unless you’re fabulously wealthy you’d have to expend a lot of your own energy to pay for this dress. We love the Italians (especially when it comes to shoes) but we’re thinkin’ this dress was not produced in a solar powered factory with sustainable materials. Even if was sewn by hand (big savings in electricity!) can’t Michael  find anyone in the US to manufacture this dress? Why should the Italians or the Chinese get all the work? Not to mention the fact it had to cross the ocean and that takes barrels of oil to power the ship. If we manufacture here, we can control the processes of the product.

Robert Garland of the U.S. Department of Energy has this to say:

By developing and adopting more energy-efficient technologies, U.S. industry can boost its productivity and competitiveness while strengthening national energy security, improving the environment, and reducing emissions linked to global climate change.

Attaining energy independence is a growing concern across the nation. If the United States intends to maintain its current standard of living, the goods we use in the future must be made more efficiently. Energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy will mean a stronger economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy independence for the United States.

Yeah, it’s only a dress but it’s mass produced and even though the label says “Made in Italy” it could be easily made in Prato, Italy where Chinese sweatshops flourish.

Speaking of Michael, what about all those Project Runway designers? Season Two winner, Chloe Dao, will be hawking her line on QVC tomorrow and you guessed it, all the garments are made in China. It can be a daunting task to get the design from sketch to product but what if Tim Gunn gave lessons on how to get it done in America? The show has a tremendous following (we’re fans) and all those designer wannabes could be starting up their own fashion houses here and creating jobs. It seems there is more motivation for profit than patriotism.