'Mighty Michelle' Obama: Dressed for Queen and country

Forget Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, and Nicolas Sarkozy.

If you ask the British media, this summit is all about the spouses, and especially Michelle Obama.

That's “Mighty Michelle,” according to the London Evening Standard.

Making her debut on the world stage on her first major international trip as First Lady, she drew loud cheers from onlookers during a visit to a London cancer care center Wednesday in the company of Sarah Brown, the spouse of Britain’s prime minister.

Every detail of the outfits worn by both women has been picked over, dissected, and analyzed as if they were vital indicators of global economic health.

So what was the verdict?

Michelle Obama and Mrs. Brown were judged to have put no feet wrong when it came to choosing modestly priced outfits from homegrown designers whose clothes are available on the main streets of most large cities in the US and the UK.

For most of her day engagements, the first lady still managed to dazzle by wearing an outfit from the mid-market store J. Crew, a choice said by fashion watchers to have been perfect in a week when lavish designer clothing would have been way out of place.

The price tag? $454.

DRESSED FOR THE QUEEN
Later, at Buckingham Palace, Michelle (and Barack) met Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Michelle wore a black and white dress, pearls, and a black coat.

And, yes, the Obamas gave the queen an Ipod.

After that, it was off to a spouses's dinner hosted by Sarah Brown. Who was seated next to Michelle?

JK Rowling, the author of the “Harry Potter” series, got honors.

THE SPOUSE QUIZ
For more G-20 Summit fun, check out the BBC quiz on G-20 spouses.
How many of the world leaders' spouses are men?

Two.

Joachim Sauer, husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Nestor Kirchner, husband of Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Both stayed home.