This man is an excellent writer. In covering First Lady Michelle Obama for Vogue, where he is Editor-at-Large, he was remarkable. Only at the end did he reveal any of himself in this.

As we rolled along, I thought of my own journey. How many among the crowds gathered to watch us pass were like me—an African-American who grew up in the Jim Crow South, whose father drove a taxi, whose uncle Lewis was a barber, whose grandmother was a maid her entire life—and turned their eyes to the Obamas not just with hope but with recognition?

If the great expectations weigh heavily on Michelle Obama’s shoulders, it doesn’t show; this is her enigma, this is her grace.

Andre Leon Talley in a moment of reflection, appearing in the front row at a fashion show

On Inauguration Day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited Diane von Furstenberg and me to sit front row in the bleachers directly above the former presidents and vice presidents. I felt blessed to be at the swearing-in ceremony looking out at a sea of 1.8 million people on the Mall. Incredibly, there would not be a single arrest. After Chief Justice John Roberts had sworn in the forty-fourth president, the new commander in chief’s first steps were toward his family for a kiss. Both daughters were done up in custom Crewcuts by J.Crew: Sasha (who gave her father the thumbs-up) in sorbet shades and Malia wearing a violet-blue wool coat and a soft ribbon sash. Then came Mrs. Obama, in Toledo’s Swiss wool lace coat and sheath, green Jimmy Choo pumps, and J.Crew jade gloves. “She exemplifies this moment of great transition,” Toledo says. “Such an optimistic start to a new era.”

http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/2009_March_Michelle_Obama/