From Merz to Weidel to Wagenknecht: Our style critique from election night

Now it's over, the weeks of nervousness surrounding the federal election . Everything went well, even in Berlin, and the new Chancellor is, not surprisingly, Friedrich Merz . The man from Sauerland and his party, the CDU, can be happy, as can the only other party of the evening that was really happy: the Left Party with its chairmen Heidi Reichinnek and Jan van Aken. Otherwise, and rightly so: long faces at the FDP, SPD, Greens and BSW.

And you could also see who came up short in terms of style in the early federal election. Once again, everything from the depths of fashion was there. But judge for yourself.

This is what winners look like: Markus Söder and Friedrich Merz can be happy about a victory for the CSU/CDU. But why Markus Söder didn't even wear something decent to celebrate the day, but rather his strange traditional jacket, is probably only clear if you're from Bavaria. The designated Chancellor, on the other hand, is going for seriousness, a bit boring and with obvious wrinkles. He can be forgiven for that on this evening. But only on this evening! dpa

In the end, unfortunately, it wasn't enough for the BSW and its namesake, who looks like her own wax figure in a strange combination of top, skirt and ankle boots. But people have often been wrong about Sahra Wagenknecht , and so we shouldn't be too happy or annoyed about the razor-thin result of her young party. We'll see in four years - but then in different clothes, please! Imago Images

Let's put it this way: Not everything that is demanded from the ranks of the Left has anything to do with reality - that is almost a beloved tradition. But there is still room for atmospheric utopias in German society, as election night impressively showed: The Left was able to reach young people in the final meters, and it seems fresher than ever, which is not least due to the leading candidate Heidi Reichinnek . And she has a fresh approach to fashion too: an airy, petrol-colored dress in a 40s cut, a cheeky fringe and an intense lipstick, both not far from the red party color - this is of course not a completely new look, but rather reminiscent of the casual wardrobe of a fundamentally likeable Kreuzberg children's shop manager. In top politics, however, such stylings have become rare since the Greens like Baerbock and Habeck presented themselves in a decidedly serious and buttoned-up manner. So it's nice that a fresh breeze is now blowing through the Bundestag again! dpa

Even if it was certainly not the election result that the FDP chairman wanted, Christian Lindner was at least able to impress fashion-wise on the day of the decision. A dark blue suit that couldn't have fit better, black shoes and a red and pink tie. The only thing that could have been chosen differently was the belt by Bottega Veneta, which didn't quite match the shoes stylistically due to its matte surface. But let's not be so strict: Lindner now has enough time to look for a new belt. dpa

There is probably no other party that has as many stylistic highs and lows as the Greens - and this was also the case on election night. While Annalena Baerbock was once again able to impress in a burgundy dress with a matching belt, her party colleague Robert Habeck left hardly any questions unanswered from a fashion point of view as to why she is unlikely to become chancellor in this legislative period: a black suit, a white shirt and the look is complete, which is intended to be casual and suggest a certain approachability. But Baerbock should perhaps have told Robert Habeck beforehand that this also means he lacks the necessary seriousness to ultimately become chancellor. dpa

You can't really say that the AfD cares much about Bundestag conventions. Rather, the party around Alice Weidel , or so the myth goes, wants to put the political establishment under pressure, restructure everything, do everything differently. It's strange, then, that the supposed alternative is now presenting itself as so little alternative. Gauland's puppy ties are a thing of the past - now a sea of ​​navy blue jackets and dark suits dominate. Weidel is no exception, putting together a decidedly masculine outfit for election night with a shirt and pocket square, accompanied by a black jacket. The pocket square was a delicate shade of blue, probably - we all know this old trick - a subtle reference to the party color. Alternative is different. dpa

Did Olaf Scholz and Robert Habeck stand in front of the same wardrobe before election night? Like his coalition partner, the incumbent Chancellor wore a black suit and a white shirt on Sunday - also with the top button open. And although you can't really go wrong with this combination, the look hardly suited the occasion: Casual Friday is known to rarely fall on a Sunday. dpa