on wide belts

I just spent entirely too long flicking through the Michelle Obama lookbook at NYmag, and her love of wide belts is quite evident. I'm wondering, though, if maybe she should lighten up on them just tiny bit? (Yes, I'm well aware of the inherent silliness of evaluating anyone's style on my blog. Nobody cares. Except me.)

Anyway, contrast this look:
Sleek, slimming, perfectly fitted, feminine.

And then there's this one:

It has a very similar, princess-seamed style, and a solid color, and it seems to me that wearing the belt that high just sort of emphasizes the width of her hips? Is it just me?

This, on the other hand, is a really good use of the wide belt. It lies quite smooth, the waistline of the dress of the dress gives it a natural place to lie, and the monochromatic scheme means that the belt doesn't break up the flow of her outfit.

I would submit that is a very BAD use of the wide belt. It might be monochromatic, but that's all that is going for it. I think I understand what she was going for--kind of a punk edge on the soccer mom look--but the shirts don't fit well enough, there are too many layers, and the wash on the jeans needs to be darker. I think.

I think she should try making her belts a little narrower, like below.

So what is your take on the wide belt phenomenon?