Would you wear the same article of clothing for 18 years? If you were Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany who understands the importance of consistent personal style, you would. This past weekend at the Salzburg Festival, she was spotted in a colorful silk tunic that Bild reports she’s been spotted wearing in 2002 and as far back as 1996. In 1996 the TV show Friends was in its second season and the spritely young future chancellor was Germany’s Minister for the Environment. Her commitment to thriftiness, modesty, and uniform dressing should make Germans proud, even if the pattern on this particular kimono makes her look more like a Nickelodeon character than a head of state.
