The black flower pinned to her left shoulder, along with full eyelashes and a wispy-banged pageboy, gave her a polished and strong, yet completely feminine look.

When asked Wednesday morning about the crisp, eye-catching dress, she said, "It's fun to look pretty."

Thank God, Michelle Obama can say that.

Women in politics are loath to admit they like fashion; it's as if the very mention of Manolos chips away at their credibility faster than city sidewalk grates clip heels.

That's what's refreshing about Obama. Her fashion sense combined with her mannerisms - gotta love the fist bump - show she's comfortable enough in her mocha skin to be a stylish leader and a supportive wife.

Yes, comments she's made have been characterized as angry and unpatriotic. But Obama, a Harvard-educated lawyer, is no wallflower. In her role she has a civic duty to point out America's gaffes. The fact that she does it with grace and femininity makes her even more of a woman to be reckoned with.

And if she becomes one half of America's first couple, she could change our country's image and set fashion trends. After all, she would be the first first lady who may have her hair chemically relaxed. Does she use Dark and Lovely or Luster's? Or does she use the blow-dryer/flatiron combination?

There is already evidence of her fashion influence.

The day after Barack Obama gave a speech acknowledging he'd be the likely Democratic presidential candidate, fashion Web sites and blogs were abuzz about the purple sleeveless sheath by former Geoffrey Beene designer Maria Pinto; the dress retails for about $900.

Several friends of mine asked me where they could get a purple dress or shirt for weekend parties. They wanted to be like Michelle.

Hours after Obama sat perfectly poised with View cohosts Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar, White House/Black Market received dozens of calls and inquiries about the $148 black-and-white tea-leaf-print dress.

Personally, I'm glad she decried pantyhose.

"I stopped wearing pantyhose a long time ago," she said on air. "They always rip. . . . I'm 5 feet 11 inches tall."

In an effort to forge a relationship with the potential first lady, the fashion industry gathered Tuesday evening at an official meet-and-greet with her at an Obama fund-raiser in a Chelsea art gallery.

Vogue editors Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley were there. Designers Calvin Klein and Zac Posen, as well as locally bred Tory Burch and Ralph Rucci, came to gush and awe and probably secretly take down her measurements so they could send her a tailored surprise via overnight FedEx.

You just need to look at the roles of former first ladies to really appreciate Obama's potential to change the first lady's image.

Although most were educated, first ladies were quiet in public, and taking the lead of Dolley Madison, they were the country's official hostesses.

Most of the first ladies followed Bess Truman's edict: "A woman's place in public is to sit beside her husband and be silent, and to be sure her hat is on straight."

First lady Eleanor Roosevelt, an author, journalist and social organizer, did wield influence. This inspirational woman, however, didn't set any fashion trends.

From then on, as the role of women changed, so did that of the first lady.

Jacqueline Kennedy's sheath dresses and pillbox hats by French designers defined fashion trends of the 1960s. Subsequent first ladies' attire was rooted in power moves, from Nancy Reagan's deep red suits to Hillary Rodham Clinton's navy blue pants ensembles.

Michelle Obama gives me hope in a world that is slow to admit that both a woman's innate appreciation of beauty and her headstrong intelligence can, and do, exist on the same gene - even those infused with melanin.