Malia Obama rarely gives us much to talk about when it comes to her personal style. By her own admission, fashion isn't really her thing—filmmaking is where her passion really lies at the moment. Still, I can't stop thinking about the ultra-laid-back look she was recently photographed wearing on her way to brunch at Broome St. General Store in Los Angeles, California.
It's an outfit we've all worn at one point or another: black leggings, our favorite hoodie, comfortable shoes, and a bag big enough to hold whatever the day might throw at us. We're women on the go, after all. But here, the details matter. Because over her distressed olive green hoodie, the former first daughter appears to be wrapped in what can only be described as a brat green octopus purse. This fuzzy, tentacled tote bag has scarcely left my mind since I first laid eyes upon it. Much like the giant furry monster purse Rihanna wore earlier this week, Obama's curious chartreuse sling simply demands to be seen, heard, and known.
Naturally, I had to find out where the green giant came from, but the answer—when I finally managed to locate it—gave me no peace. As it turns out, her exact tote is rather hard to get your hands on in the states. Made in Paris by the French brand Diemm, the shearling-lined bag comes in several colors of wool, including green, pink, orange, yellow, brown, and black. What makes the design so beloved, though, is the inclusion of an extra tie that allows you to loop and wear the bag in several different ways.
Perhaps Obama has been harboring the bag for years, but I have a hunch she picked it up during her trip to France earlier this month. Only a couple weeks ago, the 26-year-old screened her directorial debut—a short film titled “The Heart"—at the Deauville American Film Festival in Normandy. The bag didn't make an appearance on the red carpet, of course. Instead, she graced the festival's opening ceremony on Friday, Sept. 6 wearing a Vivienne Westwood tartan corset, a high-low J.M maxi skirt, and knee-high black leather boots.
“Vivienne Westwood—queen," the Harvard graduate told Paris Match of her tartan look. “It's cool. I don’t know as much about fashion, but I’m happy to be wearing it.”
Which brings us to the final issue of her black and white marbled Teva sandals. For a long time, I associated shoes like these with being forced to pee in the woods during a prolonged canoeing trip (and other outdoorsy atrocities). But something changed within me when I saw Chloë Sevigny style a black pair of Tevas with a flouncy white skirt and puffed sleeve blouse last summer. Mary Kate Olsen was also spotted wearing strappy pair of Teva sandals to a meeting in Los Angeles circa 2019. So consider this my long overdue apology: If this sporty, questionable shoe is good enough for the former president's eldest daughter and two of the most stylish women alive today, it's good enough for me.
