Maria Obama has little to say about her personal style. As she herself admits, fashion is not her strong suit. Still, I can't stop thinking about the super layered back look she was recently photographed wearing as she headed to brunch at the Bloom St. General store in Los Angeles, Calif. [black leggings, my favorite hoodie, comfy shoes, and a bag big enough for whatever the day brings. After all, we are women on the go. But the details matter here. Because the former presidential daughter in the olive green hoodie appears to be wrapped in what can only be described as a brat green octopus purse. This fuzzy, tentacle-like tote bag has been stuck in my head ever since I first saw it. Like the giant furry monster purse Rihanna wore earlier this week, Obama's mysterious chartreuse sling simply demands to be seen, heard, and known.

Naturally, I had to look up where this green giant came from, but when I finally did find it, the answer gave me no comfort. After all, her totes are hard to find in the United States. Made in Paris by the French brand Diem, the shearling-lined bag comes in several wool colors, including green, pink, orange, yellow, brown, and black. But what makes this design so beloved is that it includes an extra tie that allows the bag to be looped and worn in several different ways.

Perhaps President Obama has had this bag for years, but I have a hunch that she acquired it during her trip to France earlier this month. Just two weeks ago, the 26-year-old screened her directorial debut, the short film “The Heart,” at the Deauville American Film Festival in Normandy. The bag, of course, did not appear on the red carpet. Instead, she graced the festival's opening ceremony on Friday, September 6, wearing a Vivienne Westwood tartan corset, a J.M high-low maxi skirt, and knee-high black leather boots.

“You're the queen of Vivienne Westwood,” the Harvard graduate told Paris Match magazine of her tartan check look. It's cool. I don't know much about fashion, but I'm happy to wear this.

Which brings us to the final issue of her black and white marbled Teva sandals. For a long time, I associated such shoes with being forced to pee in the woods (and other outdoor atrocities) during long canoe trips. But something changed for me last summer when I saw Chloe Sevigny style her black Teva sandals with a white skirt and puff-sleeved blouse. Mary Kate Olsen was also spotted wearing Teva strappy sandals at a Los Angeles meeting around 2019. So consider this my long overdue apology: if these sporty, dubious shoes are good enough for the former president's eldest daughter and two of the most stylish women alive today, they are good enough for me.