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The Oscars weren't the only major black-tie event to take place on Sunday night. Across the country, the President and First Lady hosted their first formal dinner in Washington, inviting the nation's governors, in town for the National Governors Association meeting, and their spouses to the White House. The menu, according to AP, was designed to reflect the season and represent the American spirit. It included red dragon carrots from Ohio, beef from Nebraska, watermelon radishes grown in the Washington area, and sea scallops from Massachusetts. The dessert featured huckleberries from Idaho. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was not in attendance.
Curiously, there was a lot of overlap with the trends on the Oscars' red carpet; one-strap gowns and white or fleshy tones were as ubiquitous in Washington as they were in Los Angeles. Among the White House's best-dressed were First Lady Michelle Obama (wearing a gown by Chicago native Peter Soronen), Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter's wife Jeannie, and New York Governor David Patterson's wife Michelle. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius stunned in emerald green. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner went rogue, opting to swap the traditional black bow-tie for a long silver cravat.
The evening was not without its fashion faux pas: Supriya Jindal, wife of Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, and Marjorie Rendell, wife of Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, were wearing similar, if not identical, one-strap red gowns.
(See Oscars best and worst trends.)
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