The Iconic Stars of The First Lady Went Monochrome For The Show’s Premiere
The First Lady had everything going for it: stories of three incredible women, each with enough history for their own multi-season show, a killer cast to draw in viewers and then keep them there, and the Showtime budget needed to make it all happen. Despite that, the anthology series, which follows the lives of Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt has been met with mixed reviews like that from Entertainment Weekly, which called the show “a woeful waste of three wonderful actresses.” It’s disappointing, considering what could have been, but Viola Davis, Michelle Pfieffer, and Gillian Anderson did provide us with a bit of a consolation prize on Thursday night—a joint red carpet appearance that left us fully satisfied.
It’s unclear if the three women discussed their looks ahead of time and all agreed “chic monochrome” was the dress code of the evening, but when they arrived to the red carpet and posed together, the trio made for a color blocked dream. Davis was the only one who opted to wear a dress to the event, showing up in a bright red Stella McCartney look with ruching at the neckline and padded shoulders, based off a dress from the designers pre-fall 2022 collection, originally shown in yellow silk. Davis played up the glamour with large Satta Matturi diamond earrings and a deep smokey eye. She posed with her TV family—the Faux-bamas—made up of Lexi Underwood, Saniyya Sidney, and O. T. Fagbenle, who all also seemed to have gotten the monochrome memo.
Next up is Anderson, who knows if you want a monochrome look in a bright color this season, Pierpaolo Piccioli is your guy. Valentino’s fall 2022 collection consisted of 48 looks produced in a bright pink hue. Anderson specifically opted for a strapless top with a pair of well-tailored trousers and some pumps from the designer, turning the actress into the human depiction of a Grecian column at Barbie’s dream house.
And while Anderson and Davis brought the color, Pfeiffer opted to contrast them in an all-black look from Celine by Hedi Slimane. The actress wore a mohair wool suit made up of a double-breasted jacket and cropped pants. Underneath, she wore a black silk shirt, tucked in a slightly unbuttoned to show off a gold chain. She finished off the outfit with a calfskin belt and a pair of Piferi heels in black vegan leather. The result is the ultimate cool-girl ensemble, played up by Pfeiffer’s choice of causal tousled hair and her nonchalant hands-in-the-pockets pose.
So, while the show may be so-so, getting these three women together in these looks may have just made the whole endeavor worth it. We would even plead for a second season if it means getting more moments like this.
