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

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!

Color lessons: green, red, and old rose

Violet and green has always been an interesting combination for me. Not because they make you look like an eggplant, but because they complement each other in a way that is not obvious.

Both have the blue pigment, enabling them to be equally dominant. It makes perfect sense then to include the color blue in a green and violet outfit. With the three colors making everything heavy, the gray in Nick's shirt and shoes soften the effect.



I don't think I've seen these shades of green on cropped shorts and boat shoes. The sight of pastels is refreshing, especially if the hues are seldom used. Tea green, mint green, celadon?

Just make sure you have strong colors like those of the brown belt and Alex's backpack to balance out light tones. Too bad that just when I decided I wanted tailored shorts, Manila's summer season also resolved to crop its duration.



With black are the three primary colors, with the red shirt seemingly overpowering blue and yellow — or gold in this case. But without the blue floral pattern of the belt, the outfit would fall flat, and without the gold belt buckle, necklace, and bracelet, there wouldn't be any coherence either.



I may be mistaken, but this seems like old rose, complemented by a huge turquoise ring, which looks antique. It's quite fitting that Rasmus's old rose shirt is creased and his purse, made from distressed leather. Even his shoes look vintage. They match — you've guessed it — his of-the-moment iPhone.



Photos from Stil in Berlin, Stockholm Street Style, and The Sartorialist

Weekend inspiration

The Blue Period by Milan Vukmirovic and The Sartorialist, editor-in-chief of L'Officiel Hommes and creative director of Trussardi 1911. Can't say too much about precision in detailing: string necklace matching the bracelet, eyeglasses consistent with the watch and belt, beautiful detailed jacket with Balmain biker denim. But what tops it all, I think, is the head-to-chin shave that chic-ens out tank-top chest hair.

More Vukmirovic street style by Tommy Ton on GQ




Jeremy leaves things hanging, from scarf and coat belt to bangs and tassels.




Model Jakob Hybholt does denim over knit.




Shearling and long johns: the best way to transition to autumn?




Or you could always keep cool with tabi boots and short shorts.




I wonder how long this color complement trend will last. Though of course, I think that was only a coincidence.




Like color clashing has always been the mode. Blue + yellow = ?




Well done. The boys should learn from la garçonne.

Fashion posse

These London lads photographed by Stil in Berlin look as if they came from different eras. Or are really just superheroes trying hard to conceal their secret identities.




The Watchmen in full regalia assembled by Tommy Ton of Jak & Jil. Would you call them villains?




Kanye West's colorful suitcase posse, also captured by Tommy.




And as interpreted by South Park.

Here's looking at you

I don't know what I want the most: the glasses, the jacket, the shorts, or the tie. Of course it wouldn't hurt to look like a model.


Matthew, 22, does Visuals for Prada. Moncler Gamme Bleu sunglasses; rest by Thom Browne

Edgar Retro's vintage

Spotted on the streets of Vienna by Stockholm Street Style photographer Daniel Troyse, 19-year-old DJ Edgar Retro wears vintage fur, pants, and shoes, together with his American Apparel shirt and gold necklace. The footwear is a period version of these newer Lanvins featured on Jak & Jil. (I wrote something before on a shot by Scott Schuman featuring a variation.)



Yes, I think that's a Chanel logo drawn on his tank, shown clearer in another ensemble.



One may say that Edgar's style borders on bad taste. But because these looks go so well with him (with his hair, attitude, and lean and mean face), they become his own style.



Here are two outfits from his Lookbook page.

Left: shirt, Springfield; sunglasses and jumper, vintage; jeans, Hells Bells; boots, Doc Martens. Right: Jacket and studded belt, vintage; tank, American Apparel; jeans leggings, H&M



This preppy punk mix was captured by Dario Natale for Stil in Berlin.

Jacket, brooch, and sunglasses: all vintage; tee, American Apparel; jeans, Cheap Monday; shoes, Underground

The boys have it

Sebastian, 19, is a Danish student who is sporting a denim on denim look, but modified with the complementary black and brown shirt and pullover. The best touch in his outfit is the almost imperceptible black-on-black zigzags. Again, blonde hair is vital in the total coloring, half-hidden by a black bonnet.

Go over to Copenhagen Street Style to see how his sneakers complement his look.




Marco, 27, is a fashion historian from Italy. He is wearing a jacket by J. Lindeberg and a scarf by Calvin Klein. Yes, the color of his eys provide a great accent to his wonderful tonal scarf and neutral jacket with unintrusive buttons, but it is his sweater that grants personality.




Charlie is wearing jeans by YSL, a scarf by H&M, gloves by Emporio Armani, and a vintage jacket by Ralph Lauren. This image was taken at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.

Boyish + stylized military vintage = adorable, classic charm.

Black and white from Berlin and Stockholm

Even if Eyke may have borrowed his mother's lace-collared polka dot blouse, his cape, ripped and gaping jeans, boots, and hat more than make up in keeping his outfit masculine.

Linus, on the other hand, looks like a mama's boy, with everything coming in matching pairs: hat and bowtie, shirt and pocket square, jacket and shoes. Even the camera matches his pin. The pants, in this picture, go with the background paint.


Images from Stil in Berlin and Style Clicker

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

Street classics

The Sartorialist: On the Street......Waiter at Caffe Florian, Venice


The term "classic" has been defined in a variety of ways - from clothing that ascribe to a certain uniform and those that simulate a past period to outfits that induce a specific mood or that are simply borne from natural, nonchalant style.

Stil in Berlin: Common People Looks: Ronald

Jak & Jil Blog: Classic

Stockholm Street Style: Tommy, Vienna, 1829 @ Museums Quartier

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?