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Meet Ikram Goldman - the woman with the keys to Michelle Obama’s closet
By Piper Weiss
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Updated Tuesday, January 20th 2009, 8:39 PM

Ikram Goldman is the woman behind many of Michelle Obama’s fashion choices. Related NewsArticlesCheck out Michelle Obama’s $1,500 dressD.C. makeover? Stars cover up for inaugurationMichelle Obama has a secret style weapon, and her name is Ikram Goldman - a 41-year-old Chicago boutique owner who helped the First Lady select her critically acclaimed inaugural wardrobe yesterday.

The Israeli-born Goldman, whose Rush St. shop is a mecca for Chicago’s best-dressed set, stands poised to become one of the most powerful players in the fashion industry worldwide.

Goldman does not hold an official title, but insiders predict she will be the person who’ll advise the fashion-forward First Lady on what to wear over the next four years.

The gold Isabel Toldeo dress-and-coat ensemble Obama wore yesterday was “special-ordered through Ikram,” says Wendy Donahue, a fashion columnist at the Chicago Tribune. “That Obama trusted her guidance for the first day of her tenure as First Lady would lead me to believe that she will continue to shape Obama’s style, and thus the image that America has abroad, during the White House years.”

Goldman - who was also responsible for selecting the Isabel Toledo pants and tunic Michelle wore on the campaign trail and the $17,000 Loree Rodkin diamond earrings she donned at Monday’s “We are One” concert - is known for her eclectic, often edgy tastes.

In a recent interview, Goldman credited funky labels including Comme des Garcons, Thakoon and Hussein Chalayan as her style inspirations - and admitted she’s a Jimmy Choo fanatic.

“When you slip on a pair of Jimmy Choos, you instantaneously become a sexy woman,” she raved.

But, sources in the know insist it’s more than Goldman’s impeccable taste that drew the First Lady to her door. Turns out that Goldman is as smart as she is stylish - wisely turning down all requests to talk about her experiences working with Michelle Obama.

“Ikram has been silent,” reports Donahue, “which may be one key to her standing with Obama.”