The candidates' fashionable wives on the campaign trail

Anyone who has glimpsed the presidential candidates' wives on the campaign trail knows that safe, boxy suits are not in the fashion vocabulary of either the Democratic first lady or the Republican who aspires to replace her. Their choices of form-fitting dresses in bright colors and edgy prints are not attempts to conjure the housewifely frocks of the "Mad Men" era. They're more an indication of a gradual shift in dress code toward a freer, more casual -- and body-conscious -- style. More: Michelle Obama and Ann Romney: No 'Mad Men' style for them -- Carla Hall

November 2, 2012