Michelle Obama Sizzles In Jason Wu Gown for Inaugural Balls

First Lady Michelle Obama stuck with her penchant for going off the beaten fashion path by picking emerging designer Jason Wu for her inaugural ballgown.The cream-colored one-shouldered dress, which had a fitted bodice and flared skirt, was a surprising pick for the First Lady, who has typically worn striking shades such as crimson or plum during key political appearances. Mr. Wu, a 26-year-old designer who was born in Taipei, has been designing for just a few years and only recently got picked up by major stores like Nordstrom.

Although only 26, the Taipei native has already achieved many accomplishments. His family moved to Vancouver when Wu was 9 where he began learning how to sew, draft patterns, and sketch in fashion proportions by using dolls as mannequins. At the age of 14, he went to study sculpture in Tokyo and then spent his senior year of high school in Paris, where he decided to become a fashion designer. Wu then enrolled in the prestigious Parsons School of Design and interned with Narciso Rodriguez.

In February 2006 he debuted his collection, emerging as one of the leading new American talents. The Jason Wu collection is carried at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Ikram, Nordstrom, Susan of Burlingame and Louis Boston. The fashion star is a favorite among press, stylists and celebrities including Amber Valetta, Leighton Meester, Joy Bryant, Gretchen Mol and Kerry Washington.By contrast, Jill Biden seemed to have chosen something — a red Fleurette coat and a belted glen plaid dress by Milly — that she might have worn any day.