Only Nixon could go to China; only Rachel Swarns could mention Michelle's purple power suit

I was perusing The Caucus today, and came across this subtly tone-deaf bit of writing:

Michelle Obama stepped into the public-policy spotlight as first lady for the first time on Thursday, hailing a new law that will give women greater power to challenge sex discrimination in the workplace.

...

Mrs. Obama’s comments marked her first public appearance since she moved into the White House with her family last week. She stood in a purple power suit alongside Lilly M. Ledbetter, a supervisor at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company plant in Alabama.

My first thought was that if you're talking about Michelle Obama's support of anti-sex discrimination legislation then you probably don't want to go out of your way to mention what she happens to be wearing. But then I noticed that the author of the post was a lady, so I thought, "Well that's okay then."

And, yes, this blog will now be devoted entirely to nitpicking the writing at the NYT. Because, you know, I'm in a position to make those criticisms.