The First Lady of North Korea is being touted as a style revolutionary. So what sets her Barbara Bush suits apart from, say, Barbara Bush?

Partly, Instagram. The account of AP photographer David Guttenfelder has given us greater insight into the daily fashion of North Korea, doing away with old stereotypes of drab dictator green.

The other part: She is leading a wave of women not dressing like socialists. To avoid making the same faux pas as Joe Zee, let me elaborate on the socialist point. Other than one twinsies moment with her husband, Ri Sol Ju has eschewed the Mao suit and opted for bright colors, sparkly pins and even a Dior clutch.
She is breaking with the practical clothing guideline of the DPRK by wearing pants and platform heels. (Some might argue that pants are practical in a country where women’s primary mode of transportation is bikes, but don’t tell that to the fashion police.)

When she was first spotted on the arm of Marshal Kim Jong Un, it came as a bit of surprise. What happened to the previousNorth Korean recording star he’d been escorting around town? You know the one who sang “Excellent Horse Like Lady?” After weeks of speculation, North Korean State TV announced that Kim Jong Un had a blast touring an amusement park, oh, and that woman with him that is, indeed, his wife, comrade Ri Sol Ju. From the first Ri was breaking the mold of DPRK dress. Below, is a picture of that visit to the amusement park, where she accompanied her husband dressed in a verdant green top decorated with a crystal flower brooch, a fitted black pencil skirt and a pair black peep-toe pumps. Her youth and “stylish” ways briefly turned her into a Western media darling.

In a time when Michelle Obama causes a scandal for wearing her chinos at the Grand Canyon (11/25/12), Ri Sol Ju is being praised for championing knee-length, rather than tea-length, hem lines.

It’s all relative.

Which raises the point, who are we comparing her to? She has no immediate predecessor, since it is widely believed that Kim Jung Il never married. So, maybe, we are not comparing her to Samantha Cameron or Helle Thorning-Schmidt, but to her fellow countrywomen?

In the past, the volunteer fashion police have strictly enforced practical shoes and traditional dress for women in Pyongang. Ri Sol Ju and, the deceased, Kim Jong Il have become fashion icons for their heightening platforms and high heels. The trends for high heels are now evolving so fast that Potonggong Shoe Factorycannot keep up with the demands of North Korea. When accused of breaking from the utilitarian dress code of Socialism, women point out “even the Marshal’s wife wears them.”