Prêt-a-Porter. Style critique Berlin elections

The Fashion Week 'Elections 2021' is halfway over. Time for an initial evaluation of what the couturiers have sent to the catwalks, or rather to the lampposts of the city.

The appearance of the label 'Alliance 90/The Greens' appears formal and closed. Unity was the buzzword in the spring and brought the house high approval ratings in early surveys by the trade press. However, the craftsmanship was not convincingly implemented. Apparently, the creators of the blockbuster 'Curriculum Vitae Annalena' were at work here as well, and have dipped all pieces of the collection in a uniform Hulk green for the show. This brings unnecessary negative points. Maybe the photo shoot was done in the Engelbecken in Kreuzberg. Then it's no wonder that the air seems to be out of it at the moment.

Reddest red ever

While 'The Greens' dress uniformly for the federal election and the Berlin elections, the designers of the label 'Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)' offer something for everyone as usual. The brightest red ever was chosen for the federal election show. This signals to the traditional buyer that it is going back to more radical roots. This is countered by the candidate depicted in deep black, who stands for not being too radical. As Kurt Tucholsky once said, an older but slightly tipsy gentleman: 'You do something for the revolution, but you know exactly: this party won't make it.'

Buzz word sustainability

The characteristic of the show 'House of Representatives' is a heart. It does not refer to top model Franziska Giffey, also known for the viral hit 'I don't need no Doctor'. The heart is rather a charming, albeit somewhat sweet accessory on the posters, 'With all my heart for Berlin'. Apparently, it was designed with the help of a Commodore C 64 and a 24-pin printer. The traditional house stands for sustainability: 'We have been modern for a very long time and we don't throw anything away.'

In general, the appearances of the different providers are quite colorful, but difficult to distinguish. 'The Left' also comes in red, but has chosen a more subtle tone, the FDP is predominantly yellow and a bit blue, the AFD is entirely blue. The conservative brand 'Christian Democratic Union' brings the colors black, red, and gold into the picture in a circular shape, and in video inserts, it is often animated in a circle. For the Berlin elections, dark shades of yellow were brought to the forefront, an indication of a desired coalition?

I'll do it with you!

Fashion is never just clothing. The creators always want to convey messages as well. However, this season looks bleak in this regard, and only a few dare to come out of hiding. The traditional house 'The Left', which is still firmly rooted in the East, gives concrete statements to the buyers. Investors are scared off with the wealth tax or customers of Prêt-a-Porter are addressed on the street with an increase in tram frequency. Top model Klaus Lederer looks challengingly into the camera and promises 'I'll do it with you!'. This is courageous in view of the viral #MeToo discussion in the fashion scene, maybe even a bit too direct and demanding. With few exceptions, the competitors seem to like the approximate to completely incomprehensible L'art pour l'art.

Dada or Gaga?

The niche label 'FDP', for example, lets Berlin top model Sebastian Caja, formerly unsuccessful as the 'Tegel Saver', mumble things while fumbling with his cufflinks like 'Even the center needs a bulwark' or 'Less paper, more economy'. This seems playful, almost Dada-like. But then more reactionary retro quotes are posted, such as 'If you need your car, you can't turn left now', and shameless references to great, unachieved role models like 'Build on this city!'. Vroniplag has found a 95% agreement with Ernst Reuter here, without this being indicated as a quote. Good thing the man doesn't have a doctorate!

Meanwhile, the top model of the label Christian Lindner sits in a basement and works on old orders. 'There has never been so much to do,' is the announcement. Poor man! Can't anyone turn on the light? And the effort is obviously too much for the old master, even though he would rather not govern at all than govern poorly. For the federal election in 2017, he was still able to present himself as the ultimate cool guy, casually dressed, single-handedly clearing all relevant questions and at the same time representing virile sex appeal. Now, in the shots of the campaign, he looks like the slightly aged scruffy favorite uncle who wants to take a nap. Before that, he says things like 'The way to school must lead back to the future'. Snore.

Wrong purchases or trends

An final evaluation of the offerings or even a prognosis of which trends can be safely sorted out and which looks we will welcome in our wardrobe or in the Bundestag instead is, as always, impossible. Will we look back on this year's election year with satisfaction in the next season, or will we find that there have been some wrong purchases and trends that simply take up space and are completely unnecessary? The decision won't be easy, and the presentations, as elaborate and expensive as always, won't help us.

The less inclined public is making inappropriate fun of the various efforts of the couturiers and considers the current form of poster placement to be superfluous, even environmentally harmful. That seems too harsh to me, because many haute couture aficionados repeatedly enjoy bringing out the longest ladder from the basement, looking for the most advantageous lampposts, and engaging in fierce duels with competitors for the highest spot on the pole. This may seem a little eccentric in the face of Facebook, YouTube, and Co., but it gives many people the certainty: 'If my label is not booked, it's not my fault.' Therefore, there is hardly any hope that we can do without these elaborate shows in the future. However, we cannot escape the overall issue; otherwise, bad taste will prevail across the board. So, off to the changing room, uh, polling booth.

For your information: In Berlin, a total of six votes can be cast on September 26, 2021. Two each for the Bundestag and the House of Representatives, which is comparable to the state parliaments of the federal states. In addition, there is one vote for the respective district assembly of the 12 districts. Finally, there is also the decision on the expropriation of housing companies 'Deutsche Wohnen and Co.' Of the parties represented so far in the state government, the Senate, only 'The Left' has spoken in favor of it. The SPD, with Franziska Giffey at the helm, is officially against it. The Greens are currently holding back and waiting to see if anything useful falls off the truck.

Current addition: Just as there was no more honey to be had from Franziska Giffey's revoked doctorate title, it was announced that her Master's thesis is 'largely a patchwork of plagiarisms'. People, burn your high school exams!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prêt-à-porter