Presidential Inauguration

It's no secret that the First Family has a thing for J.Crew. All three of the Obama ladies--Michelle, Malia and Sasha--wore at least one item from the retailer this Inauguration weekend. But just because they live in the White House doesn't mean the Obamas get special treatment from the brand.

Turns out Jason Wu was as eager--and as surprised--as the rest of the nation to see which designer Michelle Obama would wear at the Inaugural Ball.

Four years ago, Michelle Obama launched then-little-known designer Jason Wu into the spotlight when she chose to wear his one-shouldered white gown to the Inaugural ball. Since then, his career has taken off--in addition to presenting successful and critically acclaimed ready-to-wear collections he's launched a collection for Target and a contemporary line. Four years later, after lots of anticipation about which new young designer the First Lady might anoint with her choice of ball gown tonight, she's chosen Wu once again.

After the President and Michelle Obama, it seems (judging from Twitter), that Jay-Z and Beyoncé will be the second most talked about couple today. (Not that we don't love you Joe and Jill Biden!)

Michelle Obama has worn Thom Browne before, but as Thom Browne is a relatively obscure and fashion forward designer (Savannah Guthrie admitted on TODAY that she'd never heard of him), fashion peeps (us included) are already fired up about her fashion choice.

The Inauguration festivities--and Michelle Obama fashion watch--have begun.

Four years ago, Jason Wu was one of many struggling New York designers working hard to get his beautifully made, thoughtfully designed clothes noticed. Then the 2009 inauguration happened. Michelle Obama wore his white, one-shoulder, grecian-style gown. And Wu became a household name over night. People can't stop talking about the power of that dress—and with reason. In anticipation of Barack Obama's second inauguration on Monday, we've tracked the major moments in Wu's career, from the 2009 inauguration to today. Click through to watch his story unfold.

On Monday, Barack Obama will officially embark on his second term as President of the United States, which of course also means four more years of fawning over First Lady Michelle Obama's every outfit (or not?), beginning with what she wears Monday for the inauguration.

When the Obama family took the stage, victorious, on election night this past November, everyone took note not just of Michelle Obama and what she was wearing but also of her daughters: Sasha and Malia had grown up! The New York Times' Cathy Horyn tweeted, “The Obama girls might be the fashion news tonight–full skirts, bright color, cute.” And when WWD asked designers to submit sketches for Michelle Obama's inauguration look, most submitted designs for her daughters as well. Should we be concered with the Obama girls' fashion?