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Michelle Obama's Red Dress: Great Style, Bold Gesture

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Fashion journalist Kate Betts says when she first saw the First Lady's choice of another inaugural ball gown designed by Jason Wu, this time in red, she flashed back to Nancy Reagan's signature "Reagan red."

What was different about Michelle's bold gown was that it was made of soft, flowy fabric. It was romantic and optimistic, Betts said, seeming to reflect her story with her husband, and her family's life in the White House.

The First Lady, in choosing the same designer, was not only making a fashion statement, but a style statement, Betts said.  And as in all things politics, there's a message in it.

“Every political image is calculated," Betts told Here & Now.  "I think that she wanted to make a bold gesture.”

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This segment aired on January 22, 2013.

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