Andrea Mandell

USA TODAY

Vogue nabbed an exit interview with the first lady.

Michelle Obama covers the fashion bible's December issue, complete with stunning portraits taken by Annie Leibovitz with the first lady dressed in patriotic white (Carolina Herrera) and blue (Atelier Versace).

In the accompanying piece, readers get a peek inside Obama's mindset as she prepares to leave the White House along with fun trivia, from the first lady's fitness jaunts (she and staffers hit a SoulCycle class together weekly) to her basic fashion litmus test ("Is it cute?"). But since the piece was completed prior to the election, there is little mention of Donald Trump.

Here's a sampling of what she said about her time in the White House.

On defining her role as first lady

“Everything we do is by choice. I could have spent eight years doing anything, and at some level, it would have been fine. I could have focused on flowers. I could have focused on decor. I could have focused on entertainment. Because any First Lady, rightfully, gets to define her role. There’s no legislative authority; you’re not elected. And that’s a wonderful gift of freedom.”

On being a role model for children

“Kids are watching us. I experience it every single day. They hang on my every word, what I wear, what I say. And it’s not just kids at Howard; it’s not just African-American kids. They are writing papers about us. They come to us and they’re like, ‘I dressed like you for Halloween.’”

On managing stress

Music, she says, “is my best de-stresser in life. The times when Barack and I are at our most relaxed are when we invite some friends over who we have known forever. And you put a little music on top of that? Some good food? It renews your spirit to get back in the game.”

On what she'll do next

“I will take the same approach leaving as I did coming in. I won’t know until I’m there. I’ve never been the former First Lady of the United States of America before. But I will always be engaged in some way in public service and public life.

On her fashion choices

"It all boils down to comfort level: If I’m going to make you comfortable, then I have to be comfortable first. So my first reaction isn’t ‘Who made this?’ But ‘Let’s try it on. What does it look like? Oooh, that’s cute. Oh, wow. I never thought of wearing something like this. Let’s put a belt on it. I feel gooood in this.’ There are definitely designers that I love, people I love to work with. And who they are as people matters. Are they good people? Do they treat their staff well? Do they treat my staff well? Are they young? Can I give them a boost? But! When all of that is equal . . . is it cute?!”