Meredith Koop
Personal aide, Office of the First Lady
Not since Jackie Kennedy has a First Lady had as big an impact on fashion as Michelle Obama. We likely have Meredith Koop to thank for keeping the current First Lady on Vogue’s best-dressed list and popularizing a colorful, feminine approach to workwear in Washington.
Koop stays behind the scenes but is believed to be the orchestrator behind Obama’s wardrobe choices. Dispatched to Washington by Chicago’s Ikram Goldman—Michelle Obama’s unofficial stylist during and after the 2008 campaign—Koop is said to have taken the reins in 2010. Her duties include arranging purchases—the First Lady pays for everything—and courting new and storied designers to commission pieces.
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