What Happened at Berlin Fashion Week?
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Wow! So Berlin Fashion Week FW16 has come and gone, and I think the biggest take away from the week has been that the so-called little sister of Milan, Paris, London, and New York has really grown up and has legitimized her status of being a true fashion capital. Designers crossed uncharted territory, embracing the diversified street-style and the underground grunge vibe Berlin has to offer and interpreted those ingredients (if you will) into delicious concoctions of ladylike chic, haute hippie, 90’s biker babes, and maximalist madams - just to name a few. What were my personal highlights?
First off, I adored what Marina Hoermanseder sent down the runway. The native Viennese is always so consistent in terms of elegant juxtaposition. For example, we saw constricting, robotic, metal like corsets, followed by wispy, sheer flowing fabrics. It is avant garde and sublimely unconventional, yet still very wearable. Her progressive cuts and attention to detail is what distinguishes her collections from the rest and it was yet again this season- a treat to watch. The belt strap skirt was again synched to perfection, and to sum up, I would say it was very Dior 1950’s summering at the Riviera x Ex Machina.
Hopping on the band wagon of pastel and the highly anticipated color of the year (And the Oscar goes to… Rose Quartz! - you've truly earned it) we’ve got Dimitri, Malaikaraiss, and Kilian Kerner.
Here we go.
Malaikaraiss: playful, childish, and lady like. The inspiration drew upon little girls borrowing from their older sister’s closet, so oversize everything was in full force. I loved how it was elegant with again references to the New Look blazer, but didn't take itself too seriously with graphic prints and layered slip dresses. I also felt very 1920’s due to the low waistline.
In a predominantly black collection, Dimitri treated us with splashes of Rose Quartz in the evening dresses and jackets, giving the harsh, edgy masculine collection a balance of purity and femininity. Overall, the 90’s grunge biker babe was revived with all the leather glory and fringe.There was a fun play on texture with tulle, faux sheep skins and fur, and smooth leathers and I loved the fresh interpretations from such a mundane color scheme. Black in all shades.
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Kilian Kerner (a name I find strangely very fun to say) was inspired by Anna Wintour and Twitter. While I was at first a bit (or extremely) terrified to see Anna Wintour clones strut down the runway along with her signature bob and shades - the clothing was very poised and professional. Unleash your inner #GirlBoss. The warm colors gave a retrospective vibe of the 70s, while again - the 1920s were referenced, due to graceful driving coats, gloves, and Poiret worthy prints. If we have any Downton Abbey fans out there - Lady Edith would be ALL over this collection.
Esther Perbandt on the other hand went full on sci-fi and referenced… STARWARS!!!! There were Jedis, stormtoopers, and can I just point out that Darth has finally found his go-to brand. It was great that there were no literal references to the franchise, but the black and white palette, capes, and futuristic tailoring gave it away. The androgynous silhouette and tough, graphic novel superhero look stood out from other more feminine collections. Also, I was a big fan of the models who ranged from all ages and shapes and were real people (beautiful and interesting folks) dressed in structured fluidity. You know what I mean.
Finally, there was Dorothee Schumacher who is actually one of my favorite designers coming from Berlin. She reinvented the haute couture hippie and referred to those Moroccan summers hosted by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in the early ’70s, but instead of basing her collection on Loulou de la Falaise and Betty Catroux - this was for the girl who passed on the drugs, sex and rock and roll, and was instead more interested in reading One Thousand and One Nights under the shade provided by an olive tree.
Berlin - it’s been a pleasure. Next week its off to the Paris couture shows. Well not me - I’ll be happily watching from the comfort of my dorm room, simultaneously studying contribution margins and EBIT analysis (Kudos to student life!!) but will of course be sharing my take on the collection - coffee in hand. Till then kids.
Painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1914) called "The Garden Cafe" [/av_textblock][/av_one_half][av_social_share title='Share this entry' style='' buttons='' share_facebook='' share_twitter='' share_pinterest='' share_gplus='' share_reddit='' share_linkedin='' share_tumblr='' share_vk='' share_mail=''][/av_social_share][av_comments_list]
