The
Berlin
Buzz
It was a jammed packed day two of shows for FashionQandA.com at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. Our editorial team started their
morning off with the fashion splendor of Basso & Brooke. Basso & Brooke is a partnership of talents between English designer
Christopher Brooke and Brazilian graphics designer Bruno Basso. The young and buzz-worthy pair presented for the first time at Fashion
Week Berlin, but make no mistake, this was far from an amateur act. The line extraordinarily infuses European structure coupled with the
audacious style of South American fashion. The duo brought to the runway a retro perspective of their collections from the last four years.
Not only was it a dazzling fete of fashion from start to finish, but viewers could not help but be captivated by the fluid shapes, outlandish
prints, draperies and colors. The models pranced on the runway like royal figures descending from a palace of opulence. One by one, the
models came out and took their place alongside the runway, so the audience could inspect and enjoy each creation in full detail. Simply
marvelous is all FashionQandA.com has to say about Basso & Brooke, who raised the bar for all subsequent presenting designers.
www.bassoandbrooke.net
on the runway, great, but it needs to be done well. The print choice for
many of the frocks were brilliant and unique, yet many of the sleeved
quarter length above the ankle dresses lacked shape, making the
models look as if they were wearing maternity gowns (pictured above
right). Other presented pieces, such as a yellow deep-v-neck striped
dress with red stitching detail (pictured far left), played tribute to Woeste’s
talent. The future for this Berlin-based designer star is bright – and we are
looking forward to a more clearly defined Smeilinener silhouette.
www.smeilinener.de
Spring was one step forward in shoe fashion at Smeilinener. The darling high-heel strappy shoes with a single floral pop
looked knock-out on the runway along with the metallic Mary Jane pumps that would easy take you from day to night
The Eastpak brand was created in 1976 by a student named Mark
Goldman, who convinced his father – who at the time owned a factory – to
start making a line of backpacks for students. Most Americans can
remember their high school days when wearing an Eastpak bag was
needed to be part of the “IN” crowd. Now Eastpak is more than just a
brand for students, it is a full lifestyle staple. Eastpak has collaborated
with Raf Simons and Eley Kishimoto on co-branded projects that are
bringing innovation and luxury to the well established brand.
Your look into the main tent at Berlin Fashion Week. Runway stage hands pulled up the runway
cover which meant show time was moments away at Eastpak
Berlin Fashion Week,
Eastpak surely made a
memorable show. MIA was
on the scene and kicked off
the show to dimmed lights
and heart-pounding pop
tunes. Chiseled chest
bearing male model hotties
with fine crafted active-wear
packs on their backs came
out on the runway to the jaw
dropping delight of most
women seated in the tent.
The Spring collection was
very hipster chic and featured
a wide-range of
monochromic street causal
denim. Low-wasted jeans
with distressed pockets will
be a must-have for men in
Spring, and for the
girl-on-the-go, the zebra
printed and checkered
colored sport jackets with
hoodies will be key.
Berlin Pop sensation MIA was belting out tunes on the runway during the
Eastpak show. The lead singer, Mieze Katz, pictured above was full of
encompassing energy that rocked the packed tent out. You could see all the
feet on the front row  of the runway bobbing up down to the lively groups
performance. The group started when Katz befriended guitarist Andy Ross and
the two began writing songs together. Soon they added bassist Robert
Schütze, guitarist and trumpeter Ingo Puls, and drummer Hannes Schulze to
fill out their sound.
DAY TWO
the creator of Smeilinener, a
her maiden name
“Linsenmeier”. Smeilinener,
which stands for colors,
handcrafts, joy of life, high-
end quality and long life, is a
vibrant line of feel good
fabrics and prints. Every
collection is made from
traditional fabrics from
various countries and
dominated by handmade
detailing. Woeste says her
challenge is to collage
various textiles to create an
unknown context of designs
that are both traditional and
extraordinarily one-of-a-kind.
It was an explosion of color
on the runway for Spring
2009, where Woeste
presented a collection for the
courageous color loving
fashion aficionado. If a
designer wants to take risks
By Qianna Smith
Berlin Fashion Week Spring 2009 Runway Report