Alfred Fiandaca

Alfred Fiandaca, known for dressing Ann Romney for much of the Presidential race, has passed away at age 72.

Ann Romney has all the makings of a political wife fashion icon: She's pretty, she's blonde and, unlike past aspiring first ladies, she has at least a passing interesting in fashion. She's worn new and established designers (Reed Krakoff, Oscar de la Renta, respectively) as well as contemporary cool brand J.Brand, and we think she always manages to look pretty great (if conservative). But despite all this, the fashion industry is noticeably cooler towards Romney. We receive press release upon press release about Michelle's campaign wardrobe. It's become a major coup for a designer to dress Michelle Obama. But we've yet to receive one--one--about Ann Romney's.

For most of the campaign trail, Ann Romney has worn designs by a little-known (until now) Boston-based designer named Alfred Fiandaca. While most designers would jump at the chance to make the most of the publicity, Fiandaca wasn't really known as the man behind Romney's frocks until recently, and has only just granted his first interview to WWD. Fiandaca seems like a really nice, refreshingly un-media-trained guy, and the interview sheds light on Romney's style philosophy, her preference for American designers (something she has in common with Michelle Obama), and how, um, Mitt Romney sometimes picks out Ann's outfits. Here's what we learned: