Michelle Obama and Ann Romney: Politics of Style

Photo by: Donna Svennevik/ABC via Getty Images

Ann Romney's Oscar De La Renta red dress at the Republican National Convention was equally strategic. The silk taffeta dress from De La Renta's pre-fall 2012 collection was decided on with the help of Romney's senior adviser, according to the New York Times. It was a party win, in the estimation of The Daily Beast's Robin Givhan. She called the look "judiciously feminine" and "pitch perfect." But

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Photo by: Donna Svennevik/ABC via Getty Images

Ann Romney's Oscar De La Renta red dress at the Republican National Convention was equally strategic. The silk taffeta dress from De La Renta's pre-fall 2012 collection was decided on with the help of Romney's senior adviser, according to the New York Times. It was a party win, in the estimation of The Daily Beast's Robin Givhan. She called the look "judiciously feminine" and "pitch perfect." But critics thought the dress' $2,000 plus price-tag contradicted the grounded message in Romney's speech.

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