Michelle Obama's Thigh-High Glitter Balenciaga Boots Are All That Matters

During the final stop of the book tour for Becoming, former first lady Michelle Obama sat down for a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker in front of a packed Barclays Center. Though SJP is famous for her love of shoes — namely Manolo Blahniks — it was the pair Obama donned that caught everyone's attention: $3,900 sparkly gold thigh-high Balenciaga boots.

"Do you wanna talk about her boots?" Parker asked the Brooklyn crowd before looking over to Obama and asking her, "Do you want to take some time to talk about your boots?"

The audience's answer was clear; they wanted to hear about the boots.

Throughout her eight years in the White House, Obama made a name for herself in many ways — including as a style influencer. But instead of routinely sporting expensive designer labels, Obama and her longtime stylist Meredith Koop often made a point to champion up-and-coming designers or affordable retailers like Gap and Target. 

"A lot of what I had to think about was: I have to wear fashion, fashion can't wear me. I didn't have time to work with designers individually so [Koop] would do that work," Obama explained. "We'd research and look at who's out there. It was not just did I love what they designed, but it was also, what kind of people were they? And how do we send a message of diversity and supporting American designers? Because you get to a point where you're like, I can put on anything."

She continued, "We decided, why don't we use this platform to lift up some new, young designers who normally wouldn't get this kind of attention?"

Obama specifically cited Jason Wu, who designed her inaugural gown. 

"You can change their lives: He's young, his story was amazing, he didn't expect it, [and] he didn't feel entitled to it," she said. "Because you learn there are people in this scene who feel entitled to these things because they've done it for a while. And I sensed that feeling of, like, 'Oh, you think this is just yours?' There are a lot of people out here trying to make it; young people, women, Black folks, and immigrants."

Obama might've been referring to designer Oscar de la Renta, who often criticized her for not wearing his fashions. 

But things are completely different now that she's out of the White House, Obama explained. "Now, I'm free to do whatever," she told Parker, referring to the boots.

"They were just really cute," Obama said. "I was like, 'Those some nice boots!'"