Actress Reese Witherspoon says first lady toppled Elle Woods as top fashionista

WASHINGTON - Actress Reese Witherspoon says her "Legally Blonde" character Elle Woods has been ousted as the most stylish woman to come to the nation's capital by first lady Michelle Obama.

Speaking Wednesday at a ceremony where the first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the annual International Women of Courage awards, Witherspoon jokingly complained that Woods, the bubbly blonde from Los Angeles who discovers her inner strength at Harvard Law School and then takes on Washington politics, no longer held that title.

"As an actress, I have always sought out roles that portrayed women as strong and powerful, such as Elle Woods, who was in the 'Legally Blonde' movies," she said to laughter from the audience in an ornate State Department reception room.

Woods, she said, "happened to be the biggest fashionista who ever came to Washington until Michelle Obama. Thanks a lot."

Clinton then introduced Mrs. Obama as "stylish," and the first lady returned the compliment to the entire crowd, saying: "You all look fabulous."

Witherspoon was at the ceremony as a global ambassador for the Avon Foundation, which supports breast cancer research, anti-domestic violence programs and women's empowerment projects. On Wednesday the group announced a $500,000 contribution to the State Department's Fund for Global Women's Leadership.