Unlike other First Ladies, Michelle Obama funnels most of her contact with fashion designers through a boutique owner. This is a scandal only in the tiniest, most adorable way.

Obama's fashion "gatekeeper" is Chicago store owner Ikram Goldman, the New York Times reports for Thursday's paper.

Designers admire Goldman's "vintage [and] more novel fashion" and her "selection of high-end European, Japanese and American labels," but complain she's an unprecedented fashion bottleneck around the First Lady.

The Times has ethical concerns: Goldman could sell at a steep markup items borrowed and returned by Obama, or steer her toward wearing items that further her relationships with various designers. Oh noes!

Even if Goldman was doing those sorts of things (there's no evidence), this would be pretty refreshing as far as scandals go. Just pick a scandal at random for the Bush Administration, it should be at least, oh, 20 times more terrible: Illegal wiretaps, Abu Ghraib, Katrina, false war pretenses. Heck, this doesn't even really rate on the scale of Clinton Administration scandals. It's sort of the amuse-bouche of scandals. Or hopefully the digestif.

Still good that the Times wrote about it, though; up-and-coming designers at least know who to hassle/kiss up to if they want to get their clothes on the back of the official fashion savior. At least until the recession drives them out of business.