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First lady fashion in India

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‘Pink is the navy blue of India,’ Vogue editor Diana Vreeland famously declared in 1962, the year Jacqueline Kennedy wowed the world with her colorful fashion choices during a state visit to that country.

According to Hamish Bowles, who curated an exhibit about her style in 2001 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she wore outfits like this apricot-colored dress (left) so she would be instantly recognizable to crowds. Life magazine has a fantastic online gallery of that trip here.

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Or course, First Lady Michelle Obama is quite the fashion plate herself. During her visit to India over the last few days, she has turned up the color, print and embroidery in her own wardrobe.

For an evening event, she wore a richly embroidered jacket by Belgian designer Dries Van Noten, and a tassel necklace by Indian American jewelry designer Ranjana Khan (wife of designer Naeem Khan, who made the gold and silver sequined gown Obama wore to a state dinner in honor of the Indian Prime Minister at the White House last year).

During a visit to the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum in New Delhi, she chose a colorful green print skirt by Van Noten, accessorized with a flower pin by Alexis Bittar, and fabulous looking necklaces and bangle bracelets by local artisans.

-- Booth Moore

Top photo: An image of Jacqueline Kennedy with sister Lee Radziwill in India, from ‘Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum’ exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2001. Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art

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