AP
The first lady reportedly asked between 15 and 30 designers to submit looks before going with this red Jason Wu number, which was kept secret.
"Mrs. Obama isn’t an indulged starlet primping for the Oscars, nor should she behave like one," writes Bridget Foley, executive editor of Women's Wear Daily. "Women everywhere have big events for which they select a single dress in advance of the moment."
Michelle Obama's behavior is high-maintenance compared with that of first ladies' past, such as Laura Bush, Foley wrote.
Foley speculates that Mrs. Obama liked the attention.
"But let’s say Mrs. Obama enjoyed the public guessing game; she must, or it wouldn’t have happened," Foley writes. "The rampant speculation should have been handled differently."
The First Lady's dress selection process was unkind to the fashion world, Foley said.
"At the very least, with five minutes of attention she could have cut the list to a couple of finalists," Foley writes. "As it was, Mrs. Obama’s fashion team needlessly disappointed and possibly misled many hard-working people, some of whom hoped vainly for a much-needed commercial boost."
DON'T MISS: How Tory Burch Became A Fashion Billionaire In Less Than A Decade >