Michelle's Fashion Gatekeeper

Michelle's Chicago fashion gatekeeper, Ikram Goldman, gets some scrutiny in the NY Times:

To the older generation of design stars, the idea that a first lady would rely so heavily on a retailer — rather than on designers or an independent stylist, people who make their living solving problems of fit and proportion — is surprising. To some in fashion, there is also a question of a possible conflict of interest on Ms. Goldman’s part, because she sells clothes by the designers that Mrs. Obama has worn and stands to benefit from their exposure.

Hmm. More:

Karen Erickson, whose company supplies Ikram with the Erickson Beamon pins that Mrs. Obama likes, points out that going through Ms. Goldman is no different than working with a Hollywood stylist.

Except Mrs. Obama is not a Hollywood star. Here, there is a risk: Can the first lady of the United States wear borrowed things, like the $17,313 pair of Loree Rodkin diamond earrings she wore to the “We Are One” concert, on Jan. 18, without appearing to endorse them and thus increase their value? The White House would not respond. It is unknown if those items were later sold.

More tax questions for the Obama administration?

P.S. Maybe we'll see the earrings around town. Maybe at Michelle's friend Jan's power lunch. I hear she's pretending to be a populist now.