Politics of Fashion: Karl Lagerfeld to Marc Jacobs, Everyone Wants to Dress Michelle for Inaugural

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WWD has put together an impressive gallery of 34 sketches submitted by designers for Michelle Obama's Inaugural gown, a handful shown above, from Oscar de la Renta and Chanel to Monique Lhuillier and Marc Jacobs to Betsey Johnson and Zac Posen. Apparently, not everyone was keen to share their designs with the fash trade:

"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."

What's fun is how divergent the designs are from each other—stately to show-stopping—and while, we don't think Betsey Johnson's flamboyant red-white-and-blue ombre number would woo Obama, we're glad it's part of the mix. And you just gotta love Christian Lacroix's seriously glam sketches.
· Michelle Obama: What Should She Wear? [WWD, subscription req]