I’ve now been asked by a few of you readers to comment on Michelle Obama and her fashion choices, which is something I had actually planned to not comment on at all, simply because everyone else is doing so or has already done so.

Yes, Michelle Obama wore a red and black dress by Narciso Rodriguez the day her husband won the presidential election. She’s worn Thakoon. She’s embellished her dresses with Erickson Beamon brooches. She wore a dress from White House | Black Market when she appeared on The View. She’s even worn leggings and owns a belt by Azzedine Alaïa. She also wears color.

And OMG, she wore a beaded lemongrass-colored Isabel Toledo frock the day of the inauguration and a pretty, prom-ish one-shoulder gown by Jason Wu for the inaugural balls. So, after all of that, Michelle Obama is fashion’s new savior – and of course she’ll be gracing the March 2009 cover of Vogue.

The thing is: Michelle is to the fashion industry what Barack is to the entire nation, and perhaps the world – she’s a symbol of hope; a symbol of change; a symbol away from the good ol’ boys – a step in a new direction.

About five years ago I decided to pour my heart and soul into the fashion industry even though it pays nothing and most people don’t respect it (or the people who work in it) at all. I have always believed that fashion holds tremendous power – that designers are artists in their own right, that publicists are creative individuals, that fashion assistants are some of the most passionate people I have ever met – that it is as powerful visually as it is in countless other ways. A dress is a dress, sure, but some dresses are much more than that.

While I do not believe that one person alone can save an entire nation, or even a single industry, I do believe that a single person can inspire infectious hope in others. So let Michelle Obama’s fashion choices inspire you not only to simply go out and buy green gloves from JCrew, but to forge ahead in a brand (ha ha) new direction.