Candidates' wives have plenty of style

If the presidential candidates' clothes and appearance are safe and bland, nothing could be further from the truth about their wives. Michelle Obama and Ann Romney stand out on the campaign trail, and in a way that makes each stand out from the other. Obama, 48, has been first lady for nearly four years and is well settled into the role. She established herself early on as someone willing to have fun and take risks with her clothes without moving past appropriate into wacky territory. Her style mixes high and low, costly and affordable, playful and serious. Plus, she has become a standard-bearer for American designers, especially emerging ones. Romney, 63, a former first lady of Massachusetts, picks safe clothes, Republican country-club lady clothes. But she is far from bland " not in a chili pepper-red Oscar de la Renta at the Republican convention nor in lacy black leather on The Tonight Show. Style expert Leah Chernikoff, executive editor of the Fashionista.com website, says