Attire for women in North Korea is getting

flashier thanks to First Lady Ri Sol Ju’s knack for bold and stylish clothing,

Daily NK has learned. Ri’s noticeable presence in the public eye has presumably

been reason behind the state’s decidedly relaxed attitude toward rapidly

shifting fashion trends among women, previously stringently regulated for their

reflection of “capitalist trends.”

Party-published Rodong Sinmun reported on

April 14th that leader Kim Jong Eun was accompanied by the First Lady to the

Mangyondae Prize Sports Games at Kim Il Sung Stadium, where, unlike last year, she was spotted

wearing a dark green jacket and a skirt with her hair down.

“North Koreans have been referring to Ri

Sol Ju’s attire as modern and unprecedented in style,” a source in Yangkang

Province told Daily NK on Monday. “A lot of fashion shows around the country

have been promoting more modern looks, seemingly following trends started by the Marshal’s wife.”

In the past, she added, business suits had

no visible waistline, and skirts used to fall well below the knees; these days,

however, waistlines lean toward a much slimmer fit and skirts hover just above

the knees. “Before now, people would not have even been able to think of

wearing a shorter skirt or a lower neckline, but maybe because of

the First Lady’s eye-catching outfits more people are making conscious adjustments to their sense of style,” she explained, adding that accessories such as necklaces

and earrings are an increasingly popular trend.

Notably, in footage recently released by

Chosun Central News Agency [KCTV], a number of residents from North Hamkyung

Province’s Hoeryong City appeared sporting stylish earrings and necklaces. This

look drew a great deal of attention due to the glitz and glam it indicates over

the drab, muted fashion representative of most ordinary workers

in North Korea.

According to the source, traveling vendors

who run operations between Hyesan and Pyongyang have said that scores of customers are

requesting necklaces, earrings, and rings from South Korea. Surprisingly,

demand for these goods is not unique to younger women—older housewives are equally eager to glam up their look a bit.

She surmised that the First Lady’s proclivity

for fashionable attire has brought significant changes to the face of North

Korean society, noting that she has not witnessed a state crackdown on clothing

preferences among residents for at least two or three years. “Some say that no

one has actually worn anything that surpasses the glitzy nature of what comrade

Ri Sol Ju has worn, so they can’t really get into trouble,” she pointed out.

*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group.