Clothes are incredibly symbolic.

There is nothing "useful" about fashion, which is why it is fashion and not clothes. My personal opinion about the runway is that it should be used to whisk the audience off to a fantasy world that is possible, but not probably. It should delight and inspire.

I get enough fashion news in my professional life. I like interiors during my downtime.

I am a thorn in the side of designers.

I hate yoga pants anywhere but the gym.

Avoiding the appearance of queenly behavior is politically wise. But it does American culture no favors if a first lady tries so hard to be average that she winds up looking common.

Over the course of the years, I've learned [that] fashion is a fascinating business about selling magic. It is done on the backs of our optimism and our insecurity. It is as much psychology as commerce. But I've also learned that every day we make split second decisions about people based on their attire and those decisions can have powerful implications - see the story of Trayvon Martin and his hoodie. It's important for us to understand how fashion works and how we connect to it.