© Matthias Ziegler
Fashion legend: Christiane Arp led the German VOGUE for 18 years.
June 23, 2025
Aufgezeichnet von Bernd Skupin
What makes fashion so attractive? Why do we follow it? How does it change society? Who could better answer these questions than Christiane Arp, longtime editor-in-chief of German VOGUE and current chairwoman of the Fashion Council Germany.
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Sometimes accomplices, protector (sometimes also weapon) or best friend – what makes fashion so hard to resist, which has practically accompanied me professionally my entire life? Why do I reach for exactly this piece? Maybe because it gives me a very specific feeling.
The feeling of being able to be who I am or would like to be, even though I am actually not at all. Not yet? It doesn't matter whether the choice falls on a dress with spaghetti straps or a men's suit.
For me, it was my grandpa's suits in my youth. The androgyny, the body-covering nature of this look attracted me. In the early 1980s, Japanese designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo inspired me, as they represented exactly how I wanted to look.
Or the tuxedo for women by Yves Saint Laurent. I love this dialogue of sensual, transparent chiffon with the perfect shoulders of a tuxedo.
Because then sometimes maybe I do want exactly the feminine, exactly this small, seductive element that the transparent chiffon blouse implies. I intuitively determine the staging of how I want to be at that moment. That's my style. Do I wear this perfectly suited suit with sneakers or with high heels at the moment? Do I wear it with lipstick or completely without make-up, "undone" or "big hair"?
Clothing must support you, must carry you in the figurative sense, but must never impose anything on you. Then this magical moment arises when you put something on and automatically stand a little straighter because it just feels great.
This feeling is taken to the extreme by haute couture. The first haute couture outfit I wore was a Chanel coat. I had it with me as a fashion editor during a photo shoot. I tried it on because I wanted to know if it felt special. So I put it on and thought: wow!
Yes, it did something to me, even though it wasn't my style. Such a haute couture piece is made specially for you - with all the knowledge, all the know-how, all the craftsmanship that goes into it. With the aura of the fashionable queen class. You put it on and feel it in the very same second.
Arriving in an outfit is probably the key. No object is closer to my body than a piece of clothing - perfume perhaps, because it makes and changes my scent. Clothes cool me, warm me, protect me. These are the basic needs fulfilled by clothing. They come with a positive feeling – it cools me and it also feels great. Ah, silk... Or: It warms me and it also feels great. Cashmere...!
These feelings allow me to truly arrive in my clothes. And if someone slips into a role with an outfit, then there needs to be this moment of arriving. Every actor, every actress can confirm that. The scratchy costume is exactly right for the role when the impression of discomfort is to be conveyed.
In relation to fashion, the term "authentic" is often used to classify a person as "real" - someone whose style is consistent as an expression of his or her personality. And any form of "disguise" is perceived by observers as positive or negative, without me as the wearer having any influence on it.
The British stylist and fashion journalist Isabella Blow, who died in 2007, was a legend - she filled every room she entered in the second. Whether you knew her or not, you had to look at her and inevitably wondered: “What kind of hat is that now!?” Or: “How amazing does that outfit look!?” A fashionably eccentric appearance never goes unnoticed - and those who dare it know it too.
The other end of the reaction scale from my personal experience: It was said that the VOGUE boss always comes in a look of strict hairstyle, black suit, and high heels. And you never really know what label she wears. This was labeled as consistent. But when the VOGUE boss stepped out of this look and wore a red, flowing Stella McCartney dress, open hair, lots of gold jewelry, and also a lavish makeup, it was said: "That doesn't suit her at all." While someone else might have said: "Finally something different!"
Permanent change is an essential characteristic in fashion. And this also applies to its side effects. In the hedonistic 1990s, everyone suddenly became a superstar: photographers, models, designers, stylists, hair and make-up artists. It was all about the self, about one's own cosmos.
In retrospect, it might have been the most carefree fashion era. The 2000s were different. In fashion, too, the balance shifted. It was no longer just the designers who set the direction; suddenly celebrities or stars like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were creating want-to-have reflexes with their looks.
Women like Chloë Sevigny and Kate Moss were celebrated for the way they wore fashion. We wanted that It-Girl look, but not necessarily to wear designer outfits. The fast fashion from H&M and Co. paved the way for that. The influencer culture that went hand in hand with the development of social media was a logical progression from it.
The key to fashion appeal and seduction through it is the intention to always push things forward – to find out how far we can and want to go. The famous German fashion photographer F. C. Gundlach once said that a fashion image is always a reflection of the time and society in which it was created. A time document like fashion itself.
Cristóbal Balenciaga, for example, was a visionary who was considered headstrong in his day and provoked misunderstanding. His designs showed forms that were previously unknown in fashion.
Previously, it was almost always about presenting the body pleasingly. Balenciaga revolutionized the prevailing understanding of fashion. Social changes are always reflected on the runway and influence how we dress. And every era brings forth its stars. What truly remains long-term and changes society sustainably is a trend.
Perhaps one of the most striking examples of this is the sneaker, indispensable for all of us and no longer imaginable in any wardrobe. At first, the sneaker stood for youthfulness. Then came the connection to music. And finally, to fashion.
But it has done much more than just define a look. The sneaker has changed the way we move – our gait and thus also our fashion stance. Fashion today is an important societal communicator on many levels.
More people than ever are aware of what's happening in fashion, whether they're interested in fashion or not. Fashion has become part of the social conversation. At the Paris Olympics, Nike was present with outfits for athletes, and the whole world was discussing it. Or about Pharrell Williams, who not only creates and produces super successful music but also designs his own collections and for Adidas, G-Star, and Louis Vuitton.
When Donatella Versace teams up for a collaboration with pop superstar Dua Lipa, it makes headlines around the globe today. A significantly broader communication has emerged, spreading over many - especially digital - channels, thus penetrating spaces where fashion has never played a role before.
Perhaps its appeal has never been greater than today. Fashion, in my eyes, still seduces, albeit in a different language than we have been accustomed to for the longest time.
