| on 31-01-2007 05:22
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Published in : , Fashion |
by Calvin Keogh Last weekend saw the crushed velvet carpet rolled out for Berlin Fashion Week . With parties, events and tradeshows at various locations around town, designers and manufacturers, retailers and shoppers were kept busy and entertained. The Russian Embassy pampered fashionistas with an invite-only fur’n’leather show while lovers of all things retro were treated to Coats!, a retrospective at the Kuntsgewerbemuseum of 55 years of Italian outerwear.
 Phaze
A bit of a blow, therefore, and more so considering the city received the accolade of ‘City of Design’ from UNESCO only a year back, was the decision of Bread & Butter to pull out of events. The organisers of the tradeshow, which showcases underground and youth trends and is known for its alternative approach, complained of a shortfall of registered exhibitors. In the end they decided which side of their bread was buttered and hightailed it to Barcelona.
The counter claim was that Berlin is “jam-packed with vibrant creativity...cracking at the seams” and the slack was taken up by the Spirit of Fashion organisers, Tim Oberem and Oliver Wals. This season they moved to the Arena trade hall, extending their exhibition space to 5000m². With a ‘new site, new spirit, more content’, they offered a ‘new home to the streetwear community’ and kicked off in fine style with a midnight catwalk show at Sage Club.
 Buckle Down
Burnt out on hot pink and black? Try moving to a different planet. Psychobilly is the spirit that still stalks the underground, with the stripes and animal prints, puffed-out crinoline skirts and the profusion of skulls and other body bones to prove it. Retro remains the mood with trends nodding to periods and genres spanning more and more of the last century but with plenty of eclectic and creative results inspired by the diehard cults.
 A color high was the psychodelic profusion of Chenaski’s ‘high explosive freakwear’. The German shirt company wants to help you ‘wear what you want, without caring for conditions of media or society’ and raids a wardrobe of Blaxploitative discofever tops with an Op Art sensibility. Gorilla Clothing of Copenhagen, meanwhile, will happily create a media tart with their fitted logo tees available in 19 colors. You too can be an instant ‘Amateur Pornstar’.
Victorian laced boots that might double as a sex toy, anyone? Californian company Pleaser offers quirky footwear for all occasions and you might send a message swinging one of their coffin handbags. Other accessory highlights included Cerrita Corium’s Mufftaschen, handmade soft purses which double as mufflers, and the big belt buckles of Buckle-Down of New York and LA. Checkers or hearts, Jesus or Gutter Sluts? Take your pick and strike a pose.
 Pony Maedchen
A highlight of the tradeshow was its unique brand of stage performance catwalk runs. Featuring ‘real-life individuals, the spirit of street and underground fashion is vividly represented in the best possible way’, engagingly choreographed, entertainingly contextualized. In a Spoast slim suit and neckerchief and with all the panache of an old-school Cuban exile, the Master of Ceremonies presented the trials of the Maedchen with their cane-happy school mistress.
 Chenaski
The show wrapped up Sunday with a record 1,782 pairs of feet having made the rounds of the stalls. Wild at Heart hosted the after-party the night before, with popped-up and rocked-out live punk band performances for discerning guests. Although no-one was seen decked out in any of Leg Avenue’s all-you-need-in-a-plastic-bag party costumes, everyone was undoubtedly a Rock Star. It’s only and all about Rock’n’Roll after all. And we like it.
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