To think we should adopt Angela Merkel as our style icon

[Thetimestheyareachangingnow]

Here she is with willowy, gorgeous Kate Middleton.
Kate has obviously given much thought and spent a lot of time on her outfit, hair and make-up.

Angela Merkel, on the other hand, appears to have thought "damn, I've got to waste precious time dining with this unelected pair who, despite their elitist education, can't communicate in German. I'll put on one of my King Jo Un inspired outfits, pose for a quick photo with them, then after lunch I can get on with Important Affairs of State"

AIBU to think Chancellor Merkel makes a refreshing change from clothes horses like Kate, Melania and others whose names don't spring to my fuddled mind at the mo

jenesuis exactly!

Hmm, I'd rather my girls choose a role model that doesn't vote against same sex marriage 'because marriage is between a man and woman' tbh

Yes, this ^^. I don't get the Merkel adoration tbh.

Just my own musings, but I have never seen Angie in a skirt so went off to Google. Can only find her in evening 'dress' but love this pic.....

girl after my own heart!

Yeah, no thanks. Certainly not for a style icon. In fact, not really for any sort of example, given her homophobic stance on same sex marriage.

Out of interest OP, how do you know what either woman thought while dressing for this occasion? Some people can put effort in and still look like a bag of spanners. Some, (like a few of my blessed friends) can throw on any old junk and look like they've been styled by professionals.

I can name quite a few people who I'd consider a waste of space but none of them had the savviness to marry into royalty and basically spend the rest of their days at the gym or wearing pretty dresses or flying on private planes.

If that's savviness then I hope to God my girls don't grow up to be savvy.

Whilst I don't agree with Angela Merkel's stance on gay marriage, it doesn't mean that she is an evil person and not a strong, intelligent woman who has worked hard to get where she is.

Even with those unpopular views, I would prefer my girls to see her as a role model than a woman who just hung around and did nothing for years while she waited for a man to marry her.

When I grow up - I want to be Angela Merkel.

If you think Merkel doesn't get and use style advice you're a numpty. Her 'look' is definitely styled - she probably intends to come across mumsy or relateable.

Merkel doesn't speak English, either. She might, however, have learnt some for the benefit of flirting with Cameron...

For sure...
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I say, we should just all wear black suits.

Amen to this. In fact, I pretty much wear a 'uniform', because I truly cannot be arsed deciding what to wear, ever, and I resent the hell out of the fact that DH essentially wears the same type of suit to work, to a glitzy reception and awards dinner thing, and to a wedding, whereas I am supposed to have entirely different, 'special-looking' types of outfit for occasions where men wear suits.

Angela Merkel (many of whose policies I don't agree with) presumably made the decision to choose a look three button-blazers and trousers in different colours some time back to avoid both undue attention placed on her appearance, time-consuming decisions on what to wear which someone in her position doesn't need, and the faff of high heels/leg-shaving/tights. I can get behind that.

Merkel speaks and understands English. Not fluently but certainly better than my German.

I think Merkel is great - on the whole - and that Will and Kate are great - on the whole.

she probably intends to come across mumsy or relateable.

No she doesn't. Her choices are simple and elegant. She doesn't want to be discussed for her sartorial choices. She's one of the best politicians, let alone, female politicians, of our time. She doesn't want to be on the cover of Vogue.

I think Merkel is great - on the whole - and that Will and Kate are great - on the whole. I agree. I did notice Angela's white trousers/black shoe combo and thought that it was a bit though.
PS Kate is no longer Kate Middleton.

I like her understated kind of anonymous style. Good on her.

As pp said, get out of bed, into the shower, shove on the trousers, top and jacket, out the door.

I have two black, two navy, and one dark grey trouser suits, expensive, well tailored. All I have to think about is lining up five tops a week to go under them.

Dry clean the lot on a Saturday. Rinse and repeat.

When I taught in a secondary school I did some thing similar sodablackcurrant.
We had a five day timetable so I had six outfits and wore them in order thus avoiding wearing the same thing for the same class every Thursday !

Today 12:02 birdsdestiny

Merkel speaks and understands English. Not fluently but certainly better than my German.

Ah. Should have googled! I assumed she didn't because I have not heard her give a speech in English.

I googled too nina . I just thought it was unlikely she didn't, my dad is German and everyone I know through him speaks English.

Derxa - her legal team put her down as Middleton on the Court papers when she and William sued the French magazine.

I'm not calling her Duchess of Cambridge (sounds like a pub) and Catherine Cambridge sounds daft.

Titles and styles[edit]

Royal monogram
9 January 1982 – 29 April 2011: Miss Catherine Elizabeth Middleton
29 April 2011 – present: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge
in Scotland: 29 April 2011 – present: Her Royal Highness The Countess of Strathearn
Upon marriage, Catherine became known as Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge. A fuller version of her title and style is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn and Lady Carrickfergus.[149][150][151][152][153] In Scotland, she is also styled as Her Royal Highness The Countess of Strathearn.[154][155]

On the morning of their wedding day on 29 April 2011, at 8:00 am, officials at Buckingham Palace announced that in accordance with royal tradition and in recognition of the day by the Queen, Prince William was created Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus.[150]

Sounds like Kate needs to update her legal team as to her name change!

Much as I oppose Merkel's politics, I have to admit that she is a shrewd politician.

I'd rather a hypothetical daughter of mine chooses her as role model than choose a liberal popfeminist who can't think for herself. After all, one can imitate some qualities (such as being shrewd and calculating) without having the same opinions.

Merkel changed her stance on nuclear power after Fukushima, she went against her party when it came to allowing refugees into the country, and now she changed her stance on gay marriage (minimally, but efficiently) to prevent other parties from using this topic to get votes.

She doesn't let the men in her party tell her what to do. And her style is no doubt carefully calculated to appear as masculine as needed so that the masses who are used to male chancellors won't be too uncomfortable, and feminine enough to not look like a feminist. Note how her haircut is short enough it would not look out of place on a man, but not shorter than some women's haircuts that are by now accepted as "feminine".

I oppose her politics, but there is nothing to be said against Merkel's style. Any female politician of our time would be well advised to imitate it. (I do not think the time has come where a woman can rise to such a position while wearing black suits, sadly.)

I like the way Merkel's day clothes are always basically the same except for the colour. It makes her seem sensible and businesslike, and she's clearly found something that works for her and sticks with it.

Christine Lagarde always looks fantastic imo, but that's possibly to do with being French.

Teresa May often makes some strange choices and not to have much idea of what suits her. The Black Watch tartan trouser suit, although beautifully tailored, looks like she's wearing it for a bet. And I hate those huge clunky necklaces, they really don't suit her. She's still better dressed than most of the men in the cabinet though, BoJo looks like a sack of shit and Moggy's suits appear to have been in the family for generations, they look so old fashioned.

And why does Kate Middleton seem to only have one pair of shoes? Anything daytime or formal, she seems to be wearing the same old nude, high-heeled courts. They are naff and look hideously uncomfortable.