Berlin Fashion Weekend

In Berlin, fashion week continued over the weekend with Marcel Ostertag incorporating embossed leather into many of his designs: from jackets to cropped boyfriend trousers. The Bavarian designer used thin leather and satin stripes on minidresses for a clean, asymmetrical look. High-necked collars and long sleeves evoked a strong, dominating, powerful demeanour.

Sisi Wasabi calls itself 'an alternative to fast fashion and status brands'. The label was founded in 2004 by the 29-year old designer Zerlina von dem Bussche, who was schooled in the UK but grew up in Ippenburg Castle in western Germany. Throughout her jocund collection, we saw white chiffon with large black spots on skirts and shirts, with turquoise trim. Sisi Wasabi played with tuxedo-style jackets and elegant morning-dress designs, and as a testament to the label's popularity the show was packed out. Orange satin ruled the long eveningwear gowns, as did grey herringbone tweed in daywear. 

Sex and religion inspired Michalsky's 'Satins and Sinners' show, which was held inside a church in central Berlin. The former Adidas creative director Michael Michalsky's designs tied the church and the street: his central pattern was a blue and gold stained-glass window design embossed with jewels. A black Spanish veil evoked mourning, and the men wore dog collars under blue, elbow-patched fishermen's jumpers. The religious theme clashed with signs of sin, like streetwalker-style corsets and spiky, studded fingerless leather gloves. The girls walked on heels so high that one of the models lost hers and carried on barefoot, to cheers from the audience in the pews. Michalsky came out to take a bow at the end wearing a black jacket embossed with 'Jesus loves me'.

Killian Kerner went for traditional tailoring in his menswear-heavy show, like frock coats, high collars and tailed morning coats. But the traditional designs were given a modern twist by adding hoods. His women's tailoring included cropped leather jackets, high necked overcoats and gowns that embraced mod-shades of pale pink and brown.

Scherer Gonzalez presented one of the most diverse collections of the entire week. There were echoes of the 1920s in blue silk blouses and tweed plus-fours, but they mixed with Marie-Antoinette style hair pieces made of apples, feathers and antlers. The Berlin-based design duo also showcased some spectacular couture gowns, which featured copper-coloured wired skirts, capes, parasols and bustiers with distinctly Victorian elements.  

Allude presented its cashmere collection under the name 'Feu Royal', the French for 'royal fire'. Why royal fire? "Imagine walking through a forest in autumn", said Allude designer Andrea Karg on the idea behind the name. "All the leaves in a range of colours: saffron, yellow, green, berry red. And then the wind blows through them and creates a whole spectrum of colour". Allude's feminine styles were classic but stylish: fashion for the long-haul.

Bernhard Willhelm surprised everyone at his show late on Saturday night. Rather than sending models down a catwalk, he put his models on installations and let the audience walk around them. The sports-themed menswear collection featured models in thick-striped jerseywear on skis, in rowing boats, on swings, in caskets, riding a plastic horse and painting a wooden board. The show was called 'Meet and Greet im Ski-Gebiet', which means 'meet and greet in the ski area'. It was a truly quirky Berlin event.

The next day, C.Neeon showed its Orphism-inspired creations, which featured bright colours and stripped patterns. The overall look was casual (many outfits were based on jersey tracksuit jackets and leggings), but experimental with Japanese touches.

Fashion Week came to an end with the Felder Felder team, a favourite of Gywneth Paltrow. Twin sisters Daniela and Annette Felder featured some of the main themes of the season: short leather jackets and studs. Gold studs adorned black shift dresses, belts and pocket details. The religious motif came up again too, seen in a gold studded crucifix pattern on a black leather miniskirt. Felder Felder, stocked in the UK at Joseph, Browns Focus and Selfridges, softened the dominant leather and stud look with knitwear and shift dresses in pale pink, orange, blue, brown and purple.

So much fashion, but so much uncertainty. Will the financial crisis ruin the party for Fashion Week Berlin, after just four seasons? Fern Mallis, Senior Vice President of the event organiser IMG Fashion, doesn't think so. "I'm completely impressed by the energy and enthusiasm here, and that nobody here is talking doom and gloom", said Mallis. "It a recession is a time that challenges a creative community to reinvent themselves. I think a lot of good things will come out of this. A correction, a sense of reality, and a new sense of priorities. I'm not going to be sad if the three thousand dollar 'it bags' are over for a while."

The younger and less established designers showcasing in Berlin could find their clothes provide a welcome and affordable haven during the recession. There were few signs of a slowdown at fashion week: with around 18,000 visitors over four days, the turnout was better than ever. So in spite of the global financial crisis, the party's not over for German designers.