Michelle Obama dons Korean-American designer's dress for S. Korean state dinner

SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- A Korean-American designer received keen media attention here on Friday when U.S. first lady Michelle Obama wore one of her dresses during a state dinner held the previous day.



Mrs. Obama donned a deep violet one-shoulder number with a high-waisted belt made of chiffon-wrapped crystals by Doo-Ri Chung for the dinner that U.S. President Barack Obama hosted for visiting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
For the gown, Chung, a 38-year-old Korean-American designer operating in New York, used stretch jersey, her trademark textile.
Chung said in an interview with The Washington Post that she did not know that Mrs. Obama had chosen her gown officially until a call from the newspaper confirmed the first lady's sartorial decision Thursday night.
"I appreciate the dress she asked for doesn't veer off what I usually do," she was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Born in 1973 in South Korea, Chung immigrated to the U.S. with her parents at age 4. She graduated from Parsons The New School for Design with a bachelor's of fine arts in fashion in 1995. After earning her degree, Chung worked for acclaimed designer Geoffrey Beene for six years, rising to the position of head designer.
In 2001, Chung started her own firm in the basement of her parents' dry cleaning business in New York and soon rose to fame as a notable newcomer with her trend-setting designs.
In 2004, Chung was chosen as one of the top 10 promising designers by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue magazine. She won the CFDA's Fashion Fund award for fresh talent in 2006 and has since received favorable reviews in such countries as the U.S., Switzerland, Japan and Britain.
Chung is best known for the unique drape of her jersey dresses.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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