“We brought the glitter, we brought the glam, we brought the gold sequin Balenciaga boots.”
As she prepares to release her style-focused book, “The Look,” former first lady Michelle Obama is opening up about one of her most memorable footwear looks — the thigh-high sequin Balenciaga Knife boots she wore in 2018 for an interview with Sarah Jessica Parker during the “Becoming” tour in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Obama reflects on the defining moment in a new ABC News Studio special, “Michelle Obama: The Style, The Power, The Look – A Conversation with Robin Roberts – Special Edition of 20/20.” It airs tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC.
“Are you talking about the boots that broke the internet?” Roberts asks, while holding up a photo of Obama and Parker on stage at the Barclays Center.
Robin Roberts looks back at one of Michelle Obama’s most memorable shoe moments in the new ABC special.
Stylist and “Look” co-author Meredith Koop was “shocked that I agreed to wear those,” Obama recalls. “She brought ’em, and I was like, ‘These are some boots. First of all, can I walk in them?’ I thought, ‘Where would I wear them?’”
20/20 released the clip on Instagram ahead of the special, which charts Obama’s style evolution before, during and after her time in the White House. It also shines a light on the former first lady’s commitment to supporting diversity the fashion industry. (For more, see WWD’s full coverage.)
After former President Barack Obama’s term ended in January 2017, his wife began to experiment with a less formal aesthetic, swapping her demure dresses and pumps for more contemporary looks. Obama began to ask herself: “What are the other aspects of myself that I didn’t fully delve into during those eight years [in the White House] because the assignment was different?”
Shoe Queens in 2018: SJP and Michelle Obama, in Balenciaga second-skin boots.
Getty Images
She decided that her appearance with SJP was the perfect occasion to slip on statement footwear. “Carrie Bradshaw. That’s when you can wear gold thigh-high sequin boots,” Obama says.
It was also one of the few times on the “Becoming” tour that Obama didn’t wear pants. Instead, she stepped out in a bright yellow Balenciaga dress designed by Demna for the spring ’19 collection — complete with a high slit that showed off the boots. “That was a version of me, the fun, sparkly, sexy, interesting detail,” she says.
Would she have worn the boots as first lady? “No, we’re not letting these boots into the White House!”
The interview also touches on some other pivotal footwear moments — some lighter, some more serious.
Koop talks about outfitting Obama for former President Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration. One big factor in the aftermath of Jan. 6 was the need for Obama to wear comfortable shoes she could run in if things took an unexpected turn. The pick? Stuart Weitzman suede boots with a block heel.