All ears were listening to President-elect Barack Obama's victory speech this week but fashion-watchers were looking closely at his wife Michelle's dress -- and the verdict was not so good.

Despite comparisons during the campaign to stylish 1960s first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Michelle Obama was derided in opinion polls for her choice of a black and neon-red dress from Narciso Rodriguez's spring 2009 ready-to-wear collection.

In an online poll by USA Today, 65 percent of more than 10,000 readers believed the Harvard-educated corporate lawyer and future first lady "had an off day" and 35 percent said "She looks fantastic as always."

An online poll by People magazine mirrored those results, while a Los Angeles Times online poll found 45 percent hated the dress and 34 percent loved it.

"The normally impeccable Michelle O made a questionable choice for her husband's historic election night victory," wrote Lesley Scott, editor of fashion and lifestyle blog http://www.fashiontribes.com . "It's less than flattering."

"However, every fashionista worth her salt takes risks," Scott said, "which means the occasional misstep."

Not everyone disliked Obama's choice, which was shown on the catwalk only two months ago and is not yet available in stores. New York magazine hailed Obama for being able to hold her own against France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a former supermodel.

"We have a feeling she'll continue to mix affordable pieces with designer pieces as First Lady, but this wardrobe choice proves this woman knows fashion and we have an exciting four years of political fashion ahead of us," the magazine said.

"What will she choose for the inaugural ball? The suspense is so exciting! And you know what else is great about this? We don't have to envy France for Carla Bruni anymore!"

Interest in Obama's fashion has soared since she won particular praise for the purple sheath dress and black belt she wore in June when her husband clinched the nomination as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.

While Republican candidate John McCain's wife Cindy and his vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin drew criticism for their high-end wardrobes, Obama won fans for affordable style.

Obama wore a $150 dress on "The View" talk show, which became an instant hit. For "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" last week, she donned an outfit from chain store J.Crew.

Obama already has a fashion track record, appearing in Vogue and being named twice on Vanity Fair's international best-dressed list.

美国总统当选人巴拉克•奥巴马上周在大选中获胜后，人们都在“洗耳恭听”他的胜选演说，但时尚观察家们却把目光投向了他的夫人米歇尔当晚穿的那条裙子上，鉴定结果是：不太理想。

在竞选期间，米歇尔曾被认为可与20世纪60年代的美国前第一夫人杰奎琳•肯尼迪相媲美。但相关民调显示，米歇尔当晚穿的那件黑红裙装却被批没品味。这条裙子是纳西索•罗德里格“2009春季时装秀”上的新款。

《今日美国》开展的一项共有1万多人参加的在线民调显示，超过65%的人认为这位哈佛大学毕业的企业律师及未来的第一夫人“那天穿得很糟糕”，35%的人认为“她和往常一样出色”。

美国《人物》杂志的一项在线调查得出了类似结论；《洛杉矶时报》的在线调查显示，45%的受访者不喜欢米歇尔当天穿的那条裙子，34%的人觉得还不错。

“时尚部落”网站（http://www.fashiontribes.com）的时尚生活博客编辑莱利斯•斯科特在博客中写道：“在她丈夫历史性的大选胜利之夜，一向很会穿的米歇尔选择的裙装不太合适，让人不敢恭维。”

“不过，任何一位时尚人士都要冒险，也就是说她们偶尔也会失误。”

但并非所有人都不喜欢米歇尔当晚的穿着，《纽约》杂志盛赞米歇尔敢于坚持自己的路线，并没有去模仿法国第一夫人、前超级名模卡拉•布吕尼。米歇尔当晚穿的那条连衣裙两个月前刚在时装秀上展示过，目前还没有上市。

《纽约》杂志评价说：“我们有一种感觉，她在成为第一夫人后，会继续她的平民和大牌混搭路线，但恰恰就是这种穿衣风格证明她懂时尚，我们期待未来四年激动人心的政界时尚风。”

“米歇尔在奥巴马的就职仪式上会穿什么呢？这个悬念真让人激动！知道还有什么让我们兴奋的吗？我们再也不用羡慕法国人拥有卡拉•布吕尼了！”

今年6月，在奥巴马接受民主党总统候选人提名的仪式上，米歇尔凭一件紫色紧身套裙和一条黑腰带赢得盛赞，此后人们对她的时尚品味兴趣大增。

共和党总统候选人约翰·麦凯恩的夫人辛迪和他的竞选伙伴佩林因过于奢侈的穿衣风格受到批评，而米歇尔则因走平民路线而大受欢迎。

米歇尔在做客脱口秀节目“The View”时穿的一条价值仅150美元的裙子曾引发一阵抢购风。在上周的一档节目《杰•雷诺今夜脱口秀》上，她穿的那套套裙来自J.Crew.连锁店。

米歇尔在时尚界早已小有名气，她曾登上《时尚》杂志封面，并两度入选《名利场》杂志全球最佳穿着名人榜。