Michelle Obama has taken casual to a haute new level.

While volunteering Wednesday at a D.C. food bank, the First Lady sported her usual J.Crew cardigan, a pair of utilitarian capri pants and, on her feet, a sneaky splurge: trainers that go for $540.

That’s right: These sneakers – suede, with grosgrain ribbon laces and metallic pink toe caps – are made by French design house Lanvin, one of fashion’s hottest labels. They come in denim and satin versions, and have been a brisk seller all spring.

They’re out of stock at posh Meatpacking District boutique Jeffrey, and Barneys New York boasts a limited selection of the sneaks, which are a cult favorite among fashionistas.

It’s likely Michelle got hers through Ikram, the Chicago retailer that often outfits her.

“They’re shoes,” the First Lady’s reps sniffed when curious reporters inquired about the fancy footwear.

Michelle has stepped out in Lanvin before while getting down to business. A week ago, she shoveled dirt at a tree planting while wearing the line’s chiffon tank.

Dresses and strappy pumps cost upward of $1,500, while tops go for $400 to $1,000.

Other celebrity fans of Lanvin’s costly kicks include Ellen DeGeneres and Kanye West, who has blogged about his faves.

As the family’s primary dog walker, Michelle clearly requires comfortable footwear.

“I got up at 5:15 in the morning to walk my puppy,” she joked Thursday. “That’s how my day starts. Even though the kids are supposed to do a lot of the work, I’m still up at 5:15 a.m. taking my dog out.”

She’ll be trodding on New York’s sidewalks Tuesday for the first time as First Lady. Michelle will meet with staff at the U.S. mission to the United Nations. Later, she headlines Time magazine’s “100 most influential people” gala.

If it’s good enough for Oprah Winfrey, it’s good enough for the leader of the free world. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, celebrated Valentine’s Day at a Gold Coast restaurant owned by the TV queen’s one-time personal chef, Art Smith.

For their first big date since the inauguration, the Obamas selected Table Fifty-Two, an upscale establishment where the menu features decadent southern fare such as pan-seared catfish, low-country shrimp with stone-ground grits and buttermilk fried chicken. Red velvet cake was the dessert special Saturday evening.

Smith, a renowned cookbook author who served Winfrey for 10 years, greeted the couple as they entered the restaurant while fellow diners applauded and cheered. The Obamas smiled and waved before heading to a private dining room on the second floor, patrons said. Their meal lasted for about two hours according to media pool reports.

“Everyone seemed to be in awe. Everyone’s phones opened up,” said Brandon Byrne, 22, a Northwestern student who was celebrating Valentine’s Day at the restaurant.

“It’s crazy. You’re eating dinner 30 feet from the most famous person in the world.”

Located in the former Biggs Mansion carriage house on Elm Street, the 36-seat main dining room embraces its cottage chic decor with a stone bar, hickory flooring and a pressed copper ceiling. Tables are extremely difficult to secure, with diners making Valentine’s Day reservations as early as November.

The Obamas’ date destination had become a popular parlor game for Chicago foodies, with some assuming they’d hit old favorites such as Spiaggia or Topolobampo.

Outisde Topolobampo, Kimberly Blake Fadim sat in her car waiting to see the president.

“I want him to meet me directly so I can personally deliver my résumé,” said Fadim, a sandwich delivery driver who’d like to work for the next secretary of health and human services.

The dinner also offered the Obamas a chance to celebrate passage of a $787 billion economic stimulus package he has made a hallmark of his early presidency. In his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday, the president called the measure “a major milestone on our road to recovery.”

The massive spending plan cleared Congress Friday largely along party lines. “I will sign this legislation into law shortly,” Obama said during his address, “and we’ll begin making the immediate investments necessary to put people back to work doing the work America needs done.”

Critics said the government is spending too much money and failing to offer enough tax relief.

“Republicans have been supportive of a stimulus plan all along,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R- Alaska), who delivered the Republican response.

“Yet, over the past few weeks, a serious difference of opinion has emerged over what an economic recovery plan should include. Democrats, it seems, settled on a random dollar amount in the neighborhood of $1 trillion and then set out to fill the bucket.”

President Barack Obama’s wife Michelle is the cover girl for the March edition of fashion magazine Vogue.

It is only the second time an American First Lady has taken the place of a model on a Vogue cover – the other was Hillary Clinton in 1998.

Mrs Obama, who was photographed wearing outfits she chose herself, says she is aware her wardrobe is under scrutiny.

“I’m not going to pretend that I don’t care about it. But I also have to be practical,” she told Vogue magazine.

Annie Leibovitz photographed Mrs Obama wearing a magenta silk dress designed by Jason Wu for the cover portrait.

It is the second time she has chosen to wear one of his creations for a high-profile public appearance. She wore a long white gown by Wu for the inauguration balls on 20 January.

Mrs Obama’s sense of style has proved influential.

On the day she dressed her family in clothes from J Crew for her husband’s inauguration, the company’s shares leapt 10%.

In the accompanying interview for Vogue, Mrs Obama also talks about her role as a social hostess.

“We want entertaining in the White House to feel like America, that we are reminded of all the many facets of our culture. The Latino community, the Asian-American community, the African-American community… hip-hop, spoken word – we want to bring the youth in, for them to hear their voices in this,” she said.

On her self-declared role as “mom-in-chief” she will try to take her daughters Malia and Sasha to school every morning, though she acknowledges this may not always be possible.

“I like to be a presence in my kids’ school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the parents.”

Apart from Bess Truman, Vogue has photographed the wife of every American president since 1929 when President Herbert Hoover’s wife, Lou Henry Hoover, was featured.