Luckenwalder Strasse: Anita

Anita Tillmann, 37, Head of Premium Exhibitions

Tim Ryan scarf,
Macqua shirt,
Jbrand pants,
Marc by Marc Jacobs boots

Anita is the supporting force behind a lot of my latest projects. She invited me to accompany her to the IHT Tech-Lux conference and the first meeting with Suzy Menkes, made the video "On Fashionblogs" possible, and asked me to moderate a panel on fashion blogging. It is a rare luck to meet someone who is as supportive and encouraging as her.

/mary

.hbc couture: designerscouts

And the next video of our collaboration with De:Bug, that will change the way fashion film is made.... We have to work on our equipment.

/mary

At home: Yoske Nishiumi

Yoske Nishiumi, 42, project manager, wearing a Kitsuné shirt, Raf by Raf Simons sweater, APC trousers and Koiklub x Onitsuka Tiger Lay Up shoes

Berlin is cold, freezing and algid. It's no fun running through brown slush-covered streets in the hopes of meeting someone who's opted for aesthetics rather than functional clothing. But don't get me wrong, I do not suggest you to dress in style and freeze all day. Rather we had the idea to go into the warm homes of our subjects, visit them in their living rooms, and photograph them not with chattering teeth, but relaxed and calm. And besides that, as a way to present the way some Berliners live. Like our Cut! series, this will be in addition to our normal street approach.

Yoske is a friend and my language exchange partner. I teach him German, he teaches me Japanese (if we do not spend our time savouring miso soup or listening to piano tunes). Besides he is the founder of Koiklub, whose latest stroke of genius was the transformation of a Spätkauf at Torstraße, selling original Japanese products and the latest Onitsuka Tiger shoes. The one he is wearing are in store from July. I say they are flesh-colored, he doesn't like that.

/mary

Karaleev Joop

You might have already recognized that Vladimir Karaleev is one of my favourite Berlin talents. He presented his work in an off-site location, showing a very slow and silent presentation, where the models just stood still in front of white walls. In the video, Timo asks him if the Nationalgalerie hadn't been a better choice for this. Vladimir agrees, but states he doesn't have the power to get into this building, as the brand Joop! did on the very same evening. We also meet U. Gutmair,who prefered to talk about the music.

/mary

Berlin Fashion Week: Backstage at Designer Scouts

Martin Niklas Wieser



Don't Shoot The Messengers



JULIAANDBEN

Impressions from backstage at last week's .HBC Couture: Designer Scouts event, which showcased young Berlin-based designers, many showing for the first time.

Sam Frenzel A/W 2010

Made in cooperation with De:Bug.

Cut! Berlin Fashion Week: Valeria

Valeria, 17, Model

H&M denim shirt,
Lennart Wronkowitz t-shirt

On Fashionblogs

I did this video for a panel that I was moderating last week at Premium Exhibitions.

Oranienstraße: Meret

Meret, 20, student

Zara coat,
bag from Stockholm

Temperatures in Berlin were dropping below -10° at daytime this past weekend. There is certainly no other way than wrapping up in wool, combining layers and layers of knitted garments, but only few manage to still look as well dressed as Meret does. What you can learn from her: better add a smile on top of that clothes pile, you're wearing, since there is no other way to endure this winter, that is the coldest I experienced (kind of) ever.

/mary

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Armani

Barbara, Sales Manager for Armani

All Armani

Berlin Fashion Week: Benjamin

Benjamin wears a jacket made by David, it is decorated with 666 pheasant feathers.

Berlin Fashion Week: David

David, 25, blogs at Dandy Diary

David is the first person I wanted to take a picture of during Berlin Fashion Week. This might be due to the fact, that I spend my time on trade shows to get to know new ad clients for our next magazine, instead of hanging with the fash-pack, wherever they hang in Berlin.
David's sheer endless creativity when it comes to dressing and finding gems of international couture (in this picture he wears several necklaces from different african countries) finally found an output on his personal blog, which I discovered some months ago and became a big fan. He not only documents his outfits, but also publishes long texts including interviews and reviews - so I certainly suggest to subscribe to his feed.

/mary

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Etro

Miao, 23, Stylist

Neil Barrett jacket,
Vintage Moschino trousers,
Marc Jacobs glasses,
Vintage bag,
Self-made brooch

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Etro

Jeff, Fashion Editor

Jil Sander jacket,
Cos mesh shirt,
Givenchy shirt,
H&M leggings,
Lanvin heels

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Etro

Sarah, Editor at L'Uomo Vogue

Ossie Clark dress,
Mila Shön scarf,
Chloé shoes and belt

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Gucci

Zoe, 25, Student

Dries van Noten dress,
Balenciaga shoes,
Vintage bag

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Etro

Nacio, 32, Does Visuals for Etro

Etro jacket, vest, trousers, and shoes
Perry Ellis shirt,
Marc Jacobs tie,
Miu Miu gloves,
Vintage hat,
Balenciaga bag

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Gucci

Anna Dello Russo, Fashion Director at Large of Vogue Nippon

Milan is filled with incredibly well-tailored suits at the moment (and I suppose at any time of the year). And while I'm normally not photographing the more sartorial looks, Anna Dello Russo caught everyone's attention when she stepped out of her car at the Gucci show. It's hard enough for a man to find a suit that fits properly, but if any woman has the resources to accomplish this look, it's her. I love the loose fit of the trousers, moving away from the slim silhouette that's been dominating the past years. Reminds me a lot of Katherine Hepburn, but the heels update the look.

/dario

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Giuliano Fujiwara

Manos, 32, Stylist

Gentucca Bini coat,
Vintage shirt, trousers, and glasses,
Wunderkind hat
B&B shoes
Gallo socks

As you might expect, Manos stood out amongst the crowd of black outside Giuliano Fujiwara. Colour is rare in the sea of Rick Owens, especially all three primary colours in one look. There's a humour to his style though, which is something that normally gets lost in the seriousness of fashion weeks. The look still remains classic Italian to me, some cross between Roberto Benigni and Giuletta Masina.

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Giuliano Fujiwara

Marco, 20, Buyer

Comme des Garçons jacket and bag,
Rick Owens cardigan and boot,
Ksubi Jeans
Burberry Prorsum scarf

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Giuliano Fujiwara

Savario, 20, Model

Xenia jacket,
H&M sweater,
Hells Bells jeans,
Doc Martens boots,
Tom Ford sunglasses

Milan Men's Fashion Week: Outside Giuliano Fujiwara

Dafne, 30, Designer

Self-made coat, cardigan, and t-shirt,
Vintage boots,
Champagne case used as bag

Just arrived in Milan, and I'm already impressed. The last time I was here, one week before fashion week was to take place, the city was quiet and it was hard to find subjects to shoot. Guess the Italians save it all up for Fashion Week. Much more to come this week.

/dario

Stil in Stockholm: Elinor

Elinor, Works in PR and Concept for Weekday

Vintage coat,
Weekday sweater, jeans, and scarf,
Karl Lagerfeld dress,
Carin Wester shoes,
Anna-Sara Dåvik silver fingernail

It's hard to imagine Swedish fashion before Weekday. In just a few years, the company that launched the Cheap-Monday-heard-round-the-world franchise has become almost as ubiquitous as H&M in the closets of young Swedes. Weekday has followed the Swedish business model (see: H&M, IKEA, Volvo) perfectly, by creating affordable and commercial products, but still keeping a focus on design.

Weekday goes one step further, by straddling the line between commercial and underground. The staff in the shops are all young and beautiful (also known as the American Apparel approach - refer here or here if you need further proof), and the people behind the scenes, like Elinor, are always well-connected to the independent fashion scene in Scandinavia.

In the past months, mini-collections created through collaborations with small but influential Scandinavian designers like Carin Wester and Nhu Duong have continued to give the company its edginess, while being careful to not become too high-end, which would alienate the young clientele to which it caters.

Elinor is the perfect example of the Weekday approach, combining high fashion (Karl Lagerfeld, Sara Anna Dåvik, Carin Wester) with basic but well-constructed pieces from Weekday. Form and function, form and function...

/dario

Stil in Stockholm: Rosanna

Rosanna, 18, Works at Weekday

Weekday trenchcoat,
Inwear sweater,
Ali leggings,
H&M gloves

Mary and I often get asked in interviews what it is that catches our eye when we decide to take a photo. Since we recognize that style and taste are always subjective, we'd like to begin to provide a bit more insight into the stories behind the photos we take. Not only as justifications of why we think our photo subjects have style, but also to create a more in-depth dialogue around the looks you see on Stil in Berlin. And since style is about much more than just what one wears, we plan to give a bit more information on the personalities our subjects. Think of it as street style meets ethnography.

When arriving from Berlin into Stockholm, the first thing you notice is that the streets are in such a complete contrast to one another. Stockholm is cleaner, brighter, and graffiti-free. There's a clean and sharp quality to nearly everything here, actually, which is only accentuated by the Swedish design. That being said, it can be difficult to stand out in the fashion-obsessed Stockholm. Trends catch on quickly here, and as I stood on Götgatan searching for photo subjects, I saw the same styles repeated over and over. Although black is a constant in Sweden, something about Rosanna stood out amongst the crowd on Götgatan. The triangular silhouette of the trench coat and the perfect neatness of her pulled-back hair was what caught my eye even as she dashed into a cafe with her back turned to me. The studded clutch and red lipstick added the last bit of accessorizing that made the right contrasts to the subdued black. So, it's true: a little does go a long way.

Stil in Stockholm: Arash

Arash, 20, Photographer

Julius coat,
Yohji Yamamoto sweater,
Damir Doma trousers,
Raf Simons boots,
Rick Owens hat

Stil in Stockholm: Clara

Clara, 21, Student

Vintage cape,
Acne boots

Neue Schönhauser Straße: Taiko

Taiko, 38, merchandiser

H&M coat, bag, scarf and gloves
COS pants,
Vagabond shoes

Stil in Stockholm: Lisa

Lisa, 27, Costume Designer

Self-made coat,
Vintage muff and hairpiece

Memhardstraße: Sanna

Sanna, 23, Student from Sweden

Coat from Mauerpark flea market,
Vintage jeans,
Doc Martens boots,
American Apparel scarf

At Humboldt University: Kati

Kati, 25, Student

Zara cape,
All Saints boots,
Scarf handed down from her mother,
Self-made bag

Doitsu no Mori

I totally forgot posting the editorial I did for the December issue of De:Bug magazine. All pictures up here.

Münzstraße: Lilli

Lilli, 18, student

Siggi Spiegelburg woolen poncho,
H&M leggings,
random shoes,
Vintage bag.