First Lady Michelle Obama takes first place when it comes to ‘Political Chic’, that’s according to a poll taken by French Elle magazine.  Note that First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy took second place in a poll in her own backyard.   The two are often compared to one another especially when it comes to their style choices.  Mrs. Obama is viewed as a risk taker when it comes to her style choices; she is a big supporter of new and emerging designers and Mrs. Bruni-Sarkozy tends to stick to the well-established ones.  Mrs. Obama often selects emerging designers like Sophie Theallet and Junya Watanabe, while Mrs. Bruni-Sarkozy usually wears Christian  Dior.  Michelle Obama’s fearlessness when it comes to her style has earned her the respect of many in the fashion industry, and landed her the top spot in this poll.

 Michelle Obama Tops Carla Bruni on Best-Dressed List [StyleList]

Zac Posen Spring 2010

Zac Posen is coming to Target.  His Go International collection will be available at Target on April 25th to May 30th.  We are in an environment where high-end designers are opting to make their clothes more accessible to the mass market. 

Posen has been very busy lately; only two weeks ago he announced his diffusion ‘hipster’ line to be sold exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue.  His Z Spoke collection with Saks will go for $78 to $675.  The young designer’s high-end collection goes for $900 to $12,000, but the price point for the Go International collection has not been announced.  It’s fair to say that the price point will be significantly lower than even the Z Spoke collection because previous Go collections at Target have retailed from $14.99 to $149.99.

Designing clothes for the mass market improves the bottom-line, and it increases the name recognition of the designer.  The consumer also wins because they will have access to affordable  merchandise from a high-end designer.  Only the lines at Target will tell the full story next spring, but it’s likely that the story will be a very good one for Zac Posen.

Zac Posen to Design for Target [WWD]

Related: Zac Posen is the Latest to Launch Lower-Priced Line