After a leisurely three month vacation, Michelle Obama has made her first public appearance since the inauguration.

Looking refreshed and relaxed after her three-month vacation, the former first lady greeted the audience with a smile and a wave at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2017 in Florida on Thursday.

Obama was the keynote speaker at the event, organized by the American Institute of Architects, where she spoke about her time as Chicago's assistant commissioner of planning and development.

After a leisurely three month vacation, Michelle Obama has made her first public appearance since the inauguration

Looking refreshed and relaxed after her three-month vacation, the former first lady greeted the audience with a smile and a wave at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2017 on Thursday

The former first lady wore a long black, white and beige dress which showed off her toned arms at the event as she also discussed her tenure as the executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies.

The program is aimed at helping talented young people get into politics or professional industries.

Her address, Obama's first public appearance since leaving the White House, comes just days after her husband made a speech at Chicago University.

The Obamas have mostly kept to themselves since leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on the heels of President Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Michelle and Barack have spent the past three months quietly recuperating on vacation, and only returned from their latest exotic getaway to the French Polynesian islands this week.

Obama was in good spirits as she addressed the crowd at the University of Chicago

Obama was the keynote speaker at the event, organized by the American Institute of Architects, where she spoke about her time as Chicago's assistant commissioner of planning and development

The former first lady wore a long black, white and beige dress which showed off her toned arms at the event

Her address, Obama's first public appearance since leaving the White House, comes just days after her husband made a speech at Chicago University

The former president and first lady were staying at the exclusive Brando resort, after a whirlwind trip around the Caribbean in January where the couple spent time with Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island.

Aside from a handful of visits to New York City, where their eldest daughter Malia, 18, is taking part in a film production internship at The Weinstein Company, the Obamas have largely been out of the country since January 21 when they officially handed over the White House to Donald and Melania Trump.

The former president is expected to have used the downtime to begin work on his memoir. The couple signed a joint multi-million dollar book deal with Penguin.

They have also spent time in Hawaii and Palm Springs which was their first port of call on January 21. While Malia carries on with her internship in New York before beginning classes at Harvard in the fall, Sasha, 15, is still in school in Washington DC.

The Obamas technically live in Washington, D.C. still, having decided to remain in the capital city until their younger daughter finishes high school.

Former President Obama take a holiday snap of his wife Michelle, on one of the final days of the vacation on a yacht in the South Pacific

Barack Obama acknowledged their absence from public life on Monday as he convened a panel of students and recent college graduates at the University of Chicago - his first event in the return to public life

They are expected to return to Chicago after that.

Obama's library is being built on Chicago's South Side and is scheduled to open in 2020.

Barack Obama acknowledged their absence from public life on Monday as he convened a panel of students and recent college graduates at the University of Chicago - his first event in the return to public life.

He asked to laughter at the top of the event, 'So what's been going on while I've been gone?'

'It is wonderful to be home,' he added. 'It is wonderful to be at the university of Chicago. It is wonderful to be on the south side of Chicago,' he told his audience Monday.

Now that he's out of the White House, Obama said he's pursuing his next job.

'And what i'm convinced is that although there are all kinds of issues that I care about and all kinds of issues that I intend to work on,' he said.

Obama said he's realized 'the single most important thing' he can do in his post-presidency is to 'prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and to take their own crack at changing the world.'