While Hollywood stars chose the perfect gowns to fashion on the red carpet for the Oscars, Michelle Obama dressed her best Sunday for the National Governors’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C.The first lady glistened in a Peter Soronen gown with a dazzling costume jewelry necklace, and her husband sported a sleek black tuxedo at the White House. But aside from the ritzy garb, Michelle Obama has recently made an impact in the fashion world, wearing more stylish, affordable clothes.”Since the inauguration, she was highly influential on the fact that she tends to want to purchase garments of all [price] ranges,” said Jessica Pattison, fashion apparel, textiles and design professor. “She tries to not look like a very powerful family through wealth.”The Republican National Committee reportedly spent more than $150,000 on Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s wardrobe while she was campaigning, but Michelle Obama took a more modest approach on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno when she wore a J. Crew outfit that she bought for a much lower price in November.”It’s well known that she felt that her family, especially in tough economic times, keeps pace with America instead of held up to public standards,” Pattison said. “She will be conscious for the economy and try to look just like any other American family.”The first lady keeps a watchful eye on the economic crisis and portrays an overall image for Americans seeking to find a common ground. As a young woman who is fit and healthy, Michelle Obama will be looked up to as a fashion icon because she’s a minority female figure in the public eye, Pattison said.”Michelle makes a statement for women as a very strong, poised and well-kept female,” she said.Michelle Obama’s elegant single strap gown that she wore to the Inaugural Ball in January has set the trend for designers and retailers across the country, including Baton Rouge.Erinn White, owner of Posh Unique Boutique on Highland Road, said the store houses similar dresses, and the Michelle Obama looks are gaining popularity among customers.”People are always trying to be on trend, and they are going to model the popular trends of that time,” White said. “The one-shoulder look got more popular when Michelle Obama wore it to the ball, and people want to look like what famous people were wearing.”Jackie Kennedy is history’s most well-known first lady for her fashion impact in the ‘60s, wearing pillbox hats and driving coats with maxed out accessories and a bob hairstyle.”Her influence set the stage for first ladies thereafter,” Pattison said. “She was just a fashionable female and cared about her appearance. She was the cream of the crop for doing that for America.”Pattison said the first ladies’ impact on the fashion world is nothing new, and they are automatically stigmatized to be somewhat fashionable. But Michelle Obama’s fashion statement brings forth a new American style similar to those of middle-class Americans.”It’s a different face and a different color of skin,” she said. “She and her family are a very young presidential family, and it’s just not what we’re used to seeing.”But being a political figure in the public spotlight brings along a lot of criticism. At President Obama’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, Michelle Obama put the fashion critics in frenzy when she wore a sleeveless dress showing off her super-sculpted bare arms in the freezing weather.”Anything she puts on is going to be something for Americans to critique — either negatively or positively,” she said. “They’re always going to compare her to others.”But Michelle Obama isn’t the only one in the White House who’s making an impact on the fashion scene. T-shirts bearing President Obama’s image have become an American sensation, and millions have been sold online since last year.T-shirt designer Mike Martinez at Progressive Rags, a Miami-based company dedicated to selling only Obama merchandise including T-shirts, hats, key chains and watches, said the Web site sold more than 5,000 of its top five T-shirts since August.”And that’s just scratching the surface,” Martinez said. “The T-shirts are very popular. People really want to express themselves and show their support for Obama. It just reflects the amount of popularity the president has right now.”Progressive Rags began selling Obama merchandise when he won the Democratic nomination. The Web site saw a huge sale increase nearing the Nov. 4 election and an even bigger increase between Obama’s victory and the inauguration.”Standing for what you believe in is wearing and promoting something,” Pattison said. “Bush had [bumper] stickers, but I think [Obama’s T-shirts] just took it to  another level.”Presidents before Obama weren’t displayed on T-shirts like someone’s favorite sports team or player, Pattison said.”It’s going to be interesting to see how these political figures are being portrayed,” she said. “They are being portrayed as a political figures and entertainment figures.”—-Contact Leslie Presnall at [email protected]