Yesterday, President Obama announced his nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy that will be left by retiring Justice David Souter. And, as we've been speculating, it's a woman!

For his first Supreme Court appointment, Obama nominated federal appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor to become the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice and only the third woman ever. President Obama described Sotomayor as "an inspiring woman."

At the White House announcement, Sotomayor recalled her youth growing up in a housing project in the South Bronx section of New York. "I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government," she said.

But since we are a blog, we are going to veer away from the real world for a moment (not to take away from the importance of this monumental and historical event).

And because the First Lady of style seems to be influencing everyone from fashion editors to designers to shoppers alike, we thought it would be fun to re-envision the classic black justice robe if it were to undergo a Michelle Obama-esque makeover. With the help of FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) student Kelly Lopez's sketching skills, here are our three "haute court-ure," if you will, options.

And no, we don't actually expect to see them on the bench anytime soon. But a fashion girl can dream.


The classic black sheath robe (complete with pearls): Inspired by The First Lady's Official Portrait, in which she's wearing a sleeveless Michael Kors dress from the Spring 2009 collection and a double strand of pearls.

The argyle "Jackie O" robe: Inspired by Lady O's penchant for multicolor diamond patterns. Below, she pairs one of her avant-garde Junya Watanabe cardigans (note the three-quarter length sleeves) with a Jason Wu dress for a visit to The Royal Opera House in London.

The bright, belted robe (with bow neck for added MO impact): Inspired by the bold hues Mrs. Obama often opts for, like the purple Maria Pinto dress she wore to the DNC. Accessorized with her go-to black Azzedine Alaïa waist cincher, of course.