In the weeks since election night, the emerging styles of the Obama daughters, and especially Malia, has taken center stage – the 14-year-old blossoming from the President’s wide-eyed “baby” into a self-assured young woman who has inherited her mother’s confidence, bold fashion sense and looks.
Wearing a shiny blue full skirt from ASOS with a neon pink Zara belt, and J. Crew flats, Malia Obama proved she has inherited her mother’s classic but bold sensibility on election night – seamlessly following in her well-heeled footsteps.
“The torch has been passed,” said the designer Gregory Parkinson, who sent out a press release after a recent sighting of the White House’s resident teenager.
Lucky magazine’s executive fashion director, Alexis Bryan Morgan, told USA Today: “I’m hard pressed to think of anyone, period, who had such great style potential at 14.
“She has all the elements that make a great fashionista. It’s really exceptional.”
Malia Obama, standing nearly as tall as her 5-foot-11 mother, now carries herself with confidence, striding alongside her mother like two-peas-in-a-poised-pod.
Unlike many teens unused to their new height, she shows no trace of awkwardness or embarrassment, instead, she embraces her lean figure with smart, yet bang-on-trend, wardrobe choices.
Seventeen fashion director Gina Kelly explained: “How her mother dresses is obviously rubbing off on Malia.
“It’s very pretty and feminine. It’s a little bit preppy-classic, but it’s never boring.”
And recent appearances throughout Washington D.C. have proven Malia Obama can certainly hold her own in the style stakes, mixing and matching bold colors and layers like a pro.
Lucky‘s Alexis Bryan Morgan added: “She’s smart in that she seems to be aware so many eyes are on her.
“[But] her style seems very genuine. It doesn’t look like somebody just put something on her on election night. She’s adding her own twist and having fun. You can’t really have style unless you’re being true to herself.”
Since turning 14 on Independence Day, Malia Obama has slowly started to tick off some age-appropriate milestones – like her first mobile phone.
Michelle Obama admitted in June that she “scared the heck” out of Malia with “days of lectures” on the dangers of talking to strangers before handing the device over.
And although Malia Obama, and her younger sister Sasha, 11, are forbidden from using Facebook until they are 17, Malia seems to be growing up like any other teenager, taking her first daughter responsibilities in her stride.
Since becoming the White House’s resident teenager last Independence Day, Malia Obama has slowly started to tick off some age-appropriate milestones – like her first mobile phone.
President Barack Obama, who often talks highly of both Malia, and his younger daughter Sasha, says they are kind, respectful, responsible and well-behaved girls.
Malia Obama has started to wear make-up too – with her mother’s wise counsel to guide her.
In an appearance on The View last year, Michelle Obama revealed: “We do a lot of talking. Sometimes it’s too much.
“After our… military families tour, I came in, it was 10.30 at night – we were beat, we did four cities in two days, and Malia’s like, <<Ma, I need to talk to you>>.
“And it was 10.30 and we talked. And we talked, and we talked. We talked about make-up, actually.”
In fact, it seems the only person struggling with Malia Obama’s coming-of-age is the President himself.
Barack Obama admitted in an interview last year, before her two-inch growth spurt: “Even though she’s 5ft 9in, she’s still my baby. And she just got braces, which is good, because she looks like a kid and she was getting … she’s starting to look too old for me.”
One occasion in particular came as a shock, as Michelle Obama revealed on The View.
She said: “He says he’s cool, but you know… The first time Malia went out for a party and she was dressed, she had her hair done and she’s tall, she had on a pretty dress, you could see him, he was sort of like… gulp. And I was like, <<Easy dad>>.”
President Barack Obama often talks highly of his two children, saying they are kind, respectful, responsible and well-behaved girls.
“I could not ask for better kids,” he told ABC News in June.
“I’m not anticipating complete mayhem for the next four, five years. But I understand teenage-hood is complicated. I should also point out that I have men with guns that surround them often.”
