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Nadja Auermann
Nadja Auermann on the catwalk for Dolce & Gabbana's 2009 Autumn/Winter fashion show in Milan. Photograph: Olycom SPA/Rex Features
Nadja Auermann on the catwalk for Dolce & Gabbana's 2009 Autumn/Winter fashion show in Milan. Photograph: Olycom SPA/Rex Features

Nadja Auermann: Five things I know about style

This article is more than 13 years old
The model on being comfortable, wearing vintage and why Karl Lagerfeld is her hero

1. The 70s was a fun, bold period in fashion. I loved it. There was lots of colour, prints and strangely shaped trousers. But then I've always loved Abba, so that suited me just fine. I spent my childhood dressed like Agnetha.

2. The day I got signed up as a model, aged 19, I wore black leggings, tiny hot pants and a tight top. I had to show off my figure at the agency, so they could see what my body was like. It was the closest thing to being naked, I guess.

3. Karl Lagerfeld is my hero. In many ways he made me. He's the most charismatic designer I've worked with. Photographers are crucial in making clothes look timeless. Steven Meisel had such a distinct style that his photos still work 20 years on.

4. On a day-to- day basis, I wear jeans and T-shirts. Boring, but I have children, so no white clothes, and flat, comfortable shoes. A long way from my days in Versace, but I still wear my old Galliano dresses. I suppose they'd be classed as vintage these days.

5. Coco Chanel is my style icon. She got women out of corsets and into trousers. A lot of well-dressed women rely on stylists now. It's sad. In my day, we wore what we wanted. How can we know anything about a person if they don't dress themselves?

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