Black in Berlin

Well, not exactly. Images also from Copenhagen and Paris fashion weeks, taken for Stil in Berlin.

Berlin Fashion Week, Timo, 20, writer
Jacket, blazer, shirt, and brooch: all vintage; jeans, H&M; shoes, Vagabond

No matter how many bright and jewel colors were presented in the Fall 2009 menswear shows, I suppose many still prefer commiserating with the weather.

Weinmeisterstraße: Georg, 20, student
Jacket and shoes, Cos; jeans, Cheap Monday; shoes, H&M

Berlin Fashion Week, Paul, 21, model
Pilot jacket, vintage; shirt and boots, Ann Demeulemeester; jeans, Levi's; necklace, self-made

Darryl Natale for SiB - Steinstraße, Charlie, shop attendant
Cap, shoes, and scarf: all vintage; glasses, Theo; jacket, Ann Demeulemeester; skirt, Comme des Garçons; bag, custom-made

Paris Fashion Week, Marcelo, 32, senior fashion editor for Rodeo Magazine from Patagonia, Argentina
Original Patagonian poncho and hat; jacket, Alexander McQueen; shirt, Givenchy; jeans, April 77; shoes, Yves Saint Laurent; belt, Jil Sander

Weinmeisterstraße: Sebastian, 21, student from Uppsala
Jacket, Acne; cardigan, boots, and pendant: all by Ann Demeulemeester; tank, Rick Owens; jeans, April 77; scarf, Julius; gloves, Monki

Paris Fashion Week, Andrew, 24, architect from Copenhagen
Hat, Label Under Construction; jacket, t-shirts, pants, boots, and gloves: all Rick Owens; scarf, Faliero Sarti

Paris Fashion Week, Daniel Thawley, 20, model and stylist from London
Hat, vintage; hoodie, shirts, and pants: all Rick Owens; boots and pendant, Ann Demeulemeester; scarf, self-made; gloves, Marc Jacobs; bracelet, Dior

Paris Fashion Week, Corc Demir, 17, student from Cologne
Jacket and necklace, vintage; shirt and bag, H&M; jeans, Cheap Monday; shoes, Goetz; glasses, Davidoff

Paris Fashion Week, Sergio, 25, editor from Berlin
Jacket, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair; boots, Ann Demeuelemeester; shirt, Acne; pants, Helmut Lang; scarf, Thanks Max; belt, HTC

Copenhagen Fashion Week, Rune, 29, trend scout (Outside Wood Wood)
Jacket, trousers, hat, bowtie, and bag: all vintage; cardigan, Filippa K; shirt, Yves Saint Laurent; shoes; Givenchy

Denim on denim

The picture above was taken by Scott Schuman when he was in Paris.

The first thing you notice is the denim combination or perhaps the way his scarf is tied, then the khaki jacket and the way its sleeves are rolled up in tandem with the denim shirt. Then your eye focuses on the patch on the shirt and the worn fabric. After these, perhaps his bracelet and his hair. No matter where you start, you are convinced that this entire outfit works for its wearer.

I don't know who started saying it, but men.style.com repeated the alleged fashion rule that denim does not go with denim, allowing only the exception for a denim top that has approximately the same tone as its counterpart denim bottom.

Not so with this outfit. Of course, one may say that it is his khaki jacket and olive messenger that provided the necessary counterbalance for all that denim - even allowing the fashion "rule" to be broken.

But look at this second man, featured in Copenhagen Street Style. No khaki or olive or any hue near the color complement orange, and still, his outfit works.

Is it because his denim jacket and black cardigan are both rolled up like in the first picture? Yes, this helps, but what is more pertinent is the layering of his jacket, cardigan, and undershirt.

Not only do these three pieces vary in length - with his electric blue band cap (Did I mention only just now the best item in his outift?) and black boots - they follow a color gradient (black, navy blue, denim, electric blue). Isn't that just brilliant? A progression in both color and cut.

Fashion rules are silly, that is true, but then again, consider this: would both outfits work if the men weren't blond or brown-haired? Another rule...

Weekly inspiration: Coats and cardigans

Things get a bit strange and sometimes overwrought, during these weeks of transitioning from summer to fall.

Linus is snapped here during a sunny day in Paris, with his Lanvin coat, which looks almost as light as a windbreaker. Though I thought I loved his hair best, I changed my mind. I like the fragility of his necklace.

Shoes, Hudson; pants; Raf Simons; tee; Alexander McQueen; bag, Balenciaga; sunglasses, Ray Ban




Greg from Reykjavík combines a traditionally patterned cardigan with what looks like a giant money-print tee. With the hat and the casual jeans, the total look is nordic hillbilly.




Finally there's Wiktor from Copenhagen, whose outfit just escapes description or category. Like an awkward Macaulay Culkin who's finally discovered he loved fashion, so made a mad dash to all the things he could grab in the closets of his mother, father, older sister and brother, not to mention his spinster aunt.

But it miraculously makes sense — the old necklace and the leopard print shorts with the preppy shirt, tee, and coat. Though the top and bottom parts of this picture seem to belong to two different people, the fact that they are both Wiktor makes him an amazing individual.

Happy weekend!

Black and sheer at Copenhagen Fashion Week

Ripped and layered is as good as a clutch of bracelets and necklaces.



Photos from Stil in Berlin

Dimitri chased by street style paparazzi

Shot by Stockholm Street Style



Tracked down by Copenhagen Street Style





Cornered by Style Clicker



Intercepted by Stil in Berlin




I imagine all this happened to Dimitri, a 16-year-old student, in the course of a single day. He wears Doc Martens boots, a vintage shirt, and an H&M bag.



What do you think is the more important question: where he got his round, hypnotic glasses; whether his outfit would have still worked had he worn trousers or longer shorts; or should he have shaved his legs before wearing such short shorts?