Mobama.

Not since Jackie O.'s iconic Chanel suits has a First Lady been such a beacon of fashion. Michelle Obama isn't just classed-up; any woman with a stylist can achieve that. She's hitting all the right notes with her fashion sense, coming across as young but refined, daring yet effortlessly modest. She reflects the pluralism of America in her choices, without alienating conservative mentalities.

If like me, you would give your right arm for twenty minutes alone in her closet, here's a start.

J.CREW.

Michelle Obama's love for J.Crew has been endlessly documented, and early in her career as First Lady, made her into an icon of classic and affordable American style. This was almost undoubtedly intentional on the part of her stylists to foster a more down-to-earth image for an incredibly classy and educated woman, who might have seemed cold or intimidating to some Americans. In turn, Mobama brought incredible cache to the brand, and to wearing high street brands in general.

(Image via US Vogue.)

Check out these new arrivals from J.Crew: Shoes are $248, Sweater is $118, and Earrings are $48, all from J.Crew.com.

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ.

Despite Michelle Obama's controversial choice of dress by Rodriguez for Election Night 2008, she has continued to support the designer. This peach outfit she donned in South Africa certainly raised fewer eyebrows.

This minimalistic, raincloud gray belted dress by NR is $345 at The Outnet.

ISABEL TOLEDO.

The first lady's dress and matching jacket by Cuban-American designer Isobel Toledo signaled a breath of fresh fashion air blowing into the White House, after 8 years of Laura Bush mumsy-ness.

(Image by Huffington Post)

These gold and black wellies are part of Isabel's line for Payless, at $55.

DEREK LAM.

Former Vice President to the quintessentially American fashion house of Michael Kors, Derek Lam's style is very much what Mobama is all about these days: crisp, clean tailoring countered by exuberant prints and playful details. Always feminine, always conservative without losing any of the fun, Michelle and Derek are a match made in heaven.

(Image via Glamour.com)

This sleevless blouse with large bow tie collar is $550 from Barneys New York.

This monochrome coat is available from Yoox.com for $395.

This soft, feminine evening dress is available from Yoox.com for $355.

JASON WU.

Michelle's choice for inauguration night was young hot thing Jason Wu, a former intern of other First Lady favorite Narciso Rodriguez. She's worn his pieces to meet the Queen, and on the cover of Vogue. While wearing Wu's fantastical, mind-bending pieces should be a treat for anyone, including the First Lady, his career owes much to her support.

(Image via Time.com)

This silk shirt dress in a bold tulip print is on sale at StyleBop for £727.

These androgynous wool-blend pants are on Net-a-Porter for for $755.

TRACY FEITH.

Mobama loved this dress by Tracy Feith so much that she wore it (SHOCKER) twice. Unbelievable, right? Personally, I'd eat, sleep, and shower in it, it's slamming. If you're lucky enough to own one of his pieces, it may become a collector's item: the designer has somewhat disappeared off the radar.

This strapless sweetheart neckline party dress is available from Bluefly for under $200.

Bitter Root Vintage.

Not your average pile of vintage Etsy tat.

Burberry Prorsum.

Talk about a fucking cut, MY GOD.

A camera in our bedroom?

(Paul Blow via Stumbleupon)

So here we are.

I'm sitting in the front window of a cafe, staring out upon a busy intersection. In Cambridge. Fucking. Massachusetts.

Indeed, the complete lack of posting for around a month was not ONLY due to laziness. My husband and I have been boxing up our Irish life, and transporting it haphazardly to Boston. Or more specifically Cambridge.

But it was very nearly Boston. A few days off the plane, and we had found the PERFECT apartment in the PERFECT part of town; an airy third floor flat in a brownstone in the South End. It was above a famous specialty food shop, around the corner from a dog park, and in one of the hippest, most picturesque neighborhoods in Boston. My husband and I are somewhat ashamed to admit what yuppies we really are, and we imagined perfect Sunday afternoons of strolling and sipping lattes and checking out designer furniture that we can't quite afford. But unfortunately, it was not to be.

The apartment fell through, and we did lots of cursing. We found another apartment in Central Square in Cambridge, around the corner from our pals. Where the South End has wine shops and dog bakeries (even we couldn't condone this kind of gentrification, for fuck's sake), Central Square has check cashing and rent-to-own furniture. We aren't snobs, but we were a little bummed... it just didn't seem to promise the magic and the stylishness of the other imagined life.

We have now been in Cambridge for five days, and frankly, you couldn't get me to exchange it for the South End for any amount of cash. Every turn we take, our neighborhood explodes into life. East Cambridge, a 10 minute walk, is populated with Irish dive bars and Portuguese bakeries and antique furniture restoration businesses. Teenagers play basketball in the parks until the wee hours. The local food co-op is hopping with young parents and toddlers. The pleasant smell of marijuana and vegetarian cooking wafts from open windows. Fuck the gentrified South End. We are where we belong.

(Photo via The Cut.)

Uncommon goods.

Quirky, vibrant miscellanea to warm up an industrial city pad at Uncommon Goods.

The testosterone house.

It's not that I don't love this rustic American mountain house designed by M.Elle. I do, I absolutely do.

I'd just be terrified that in a space this man-friendly, my husband would be strutting around naked, wanting to kill and have sex with things. That's why we cover our houses with gingham and doilies ladies, so we can keep that shit in check.

Via Desire to Inspire.

My bathroom.

Despite the fact that I just gave away a dresser EXACTLY like that, this is indeed my dream conceptual bathroom.

In real life obviously I'd need a bit of storage and, oh I dunno, a mirror? But who needs real life?

Cupboards via Stumbleupon.

I want Boston.

So my husband's green card is imminent, and it seems we will make it to Boston in time for a punishing winter. I can't wait.

Paul Himmel via Stumbleupon.

My kitchen.

My perfect, dingy, mid-century kitchen. Perfect.

CGSociety.com via Stumbleupon.

Quinn's Street hottie of the week... PLUS: an elegance rant.

This chick, at the Vogue's Fashion Night Out in Brown Thomas. (by Emily Quinn, via the Weekly Edit.)

I ultimately had trouble selecting this photo, after I read an article recently in the New York Magazine's fashion supplement about "repli-Kates". These being, of course, the stampeding women who are embracing Princess Catherine's prim, tailored, conservative style (and I'll bet, with much relief, after having to deal with fucking bandage dresses.)

This created a little bit of a crisis for me. The stuff that characterizes the Duchess of Cambridge's style--minimalism, timelessness, conservatism, fine finish--is the "elegance" in everyday fashion that I've been campaigning for. So I should be glad, right? However, it feels like high school all over again, when I was wearing Doc Martens and plaid skirts from age 13 and receiving nothing but abuse from other students. But suddenly, at age 17, "punk" became cool and mainstream, and by standing still my whole life I'd found myself thrust into the center of "coolness."

But if "elegance" has become trendy, then could it cease to be timeless? Once Avril Lavigne starting dressing like a slut, my Docs were no longer "awesome" and were causing people to question my sexuality again (they were right to, muahahaha.) Thus, after two upcoming seasons of plundering Oasis for anything made of tailored wool (which will be as poorly made and mass-produced as any of the maxi dresses from last year), will timeless minimalism come to be seen as "naff" and "totally last year"?

But I suppose that's the test of true elegance: either, that it is simply unmarred by such discussions of "so-last-year", or at least the people wearing it are unphased by them. Sticking to a principle of design, rather than following trends, must always be a bit confusing and disheartening when dealing with a dizzily trendy marketplace.

Stay away from the high street, buy vintage and handmade, and when people tell you that you dress a bit like Kate Middleton, say "That fat slag? THANKS A LOT." And pretend to cry. They'll never say it again.

Grand and elegant in D4.

Not having grown up in South County Dublin like SOME people (ahem, my husband), I don't have "postcode paranoia". But for those who are considering living in Cherrywood just so they can stay on the south-side, check out this bruiser up for auction behind St. Vincent's.

Yeah, it's a complete gut-job. But that's good value for D4, and with the right touch, could be a cozy home on a grand scale.

(Via daft.ie, anthropologie.eu).

If I were getting married tomorrow...

...I just might get married in a t-shirt.

(Via Net-a-Porter.)