Stylish Michelle Obama makes 'purple splash' in the Big Apple

Michelle Obama continued to win admirers after stunning the New York crowd in her purple cocktail dress during a public show of support for the arts in the city.

The US First Lady braved the chilly weather in a purple wool and silk sheath, paired with a jacket from Isaac Mizrahi, during her arrival at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to cut a ribbon for the opening of a new wing.

The mum-of-two, who has a line of dreamy-eyed designers waiting to dress her, later reached Lincoln Center to celebrate the American Ballet Theatre's Opening Night Gala.

"Michelle Obama is a huge inspiration," the New York Daily News quoted Mizrahi as saying.

"She has created the new democracy of fashion, the perfect balance between casual and propriety. She has already become a fashion icon for the ages," Mizrahi added.

Met Museum President Emily Rafferty introduced Michelle, noting that the President and his wife enjoyed their first date at a Chicago museum.

Michelle said: "After 20 some odd years of knowing a guy, you forget that your first date was at a museum. But it was, and it was obviously wonderful. It worked."