The Risto show which closed Berlin Fashion Week on Saturday was modern and feminine with drapey fabrics with whimsical prints and patterns. White and black were used as a base colors in the show. One of the key trends we noticed in the collection were lycra biker or knee shorts worn under skirts. This was a very well-rounded collection for young modern women who want to look like they know what is happening now in fashion.

Designer Guido Maria Kretshmer presented his collection at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion week spring/summer 2011. Elegant styles for different occasions were shown for menswear and women's wear. For the ladies we noticed chic cocktail dresses and pant suits as well as beautiful haute couture gowns with elaborate details such as exquisite beading, sequence ruffle, appliqué and draping. Some of these dresses were so beautiful that they could easily be picked as wedding gowns for a very sophisticated bride or to a red carpet occasion. In the men’s wear area Guido utilized iridescent fabrics that gave suits a great appeal for men who want to stand out from the crowd. We also noticed a relaxed approach to men’s sports wear with items such as a knit blazer with cool pockets paired with relaxed fit knit pants.

Designer Killian Kerner showed his latest womenswear and menswear collection for his design label today Starstyling. Going for the dramatic edgy look for women and preppy understated ease for his men, the designer showed he has a wide range of design talent. We liked the studded gladiator sandals for men and his womens showstopper was flowy nude dress with a silver upper body armor-like look which we thought was one of the most creative pieces we have seen this week in Berlin.

Designer Dawid Tomaszewski showed one of the best collections of Berlin Fashion week today. A mix of the elegant with the dramatic, the show was strong and very feminine, from flowy feather dresses to ruffles, to sheer pant suits, we loved the feathered head/face pieces the models wore. Superb show.

The JI+B design team came all the way from Mexico to show their chic and exquisite collection here yesterday in Berlin. After we met the designers at the Vogue party the night before, we were curious to seer their runway show and they did not dissapoint. Beautiful flowing fabrics, large flower corsages adorned the garments, and sophisticates silhouettes filled the show. The designers had looks from day lunches, to evening cocktails, to luxurious flowy red-carpet looks. It would be safe to say that these designers are well on their way to success internationally.

Eight super-talented up and coming designers showed in a great collaborative show yesterday here in Berlin. It's along the lines of what we expect from such a creative city like Berlin which has less commercial constraints as say, Paris, New York or Milan. Slightly more futuristic then what we have seen here this week, and very edgy. We loved the large video screens on the runway which showed the intricate details up-close.

Since designer Sarah Burton took over the reins at Alexander McQueen after his untimely death, everyone has wondered where Burton would take the line creatively. Inspired by Hans Bellmer's dolls and samurai warriors, Burton explained that she wanted to “juxtapose the pale and the delicate with the bold and armorial. It’s about a highly structured torso that gives way to a more fluid silhouette or drop waists that lead to a finned trouser or skirt.” We like that Burton has paired whisical dresses with beautiful light weight embroidered coats for the new resort collection. Using less of McQueen's theatrics he used in his shows, Burton seems to be keeping the dramatic glamourous appeal of the brand.

We found Lanvin's newest menswear Spring 11 collection to be slightly Japanese, with a dramatic Twilight edge. Especially innovative—not just in the tailoring and the deconstruction of the clothes, but in the use of color and texture. There's a lot of boldness, especially in the Beetlejuice-ian edginess and ringmaster-bold stripes, but it's a boldness that is urban and nocturnal. These are pieces made to be seen.

Balmain showed its first Mens collection at Paris fashion week. The collection was a downtown rocker mix of jeans, t-shirts and shrunken jackets. Judging from the success of its womenswear line, it looks like menswear is a great choice for Balmain to branch out into unknown terrritories.

At Jill Sanders Spring 2011 men's runway show we noticed a cool mix of bright colors and exquisite tailoring. The collection designed by Raf Simmons and presented in Florence Italy brings excitement to men’s wear. Some of the looks will be challenging for the average guy to wear but it sure was a delight to see on the models. An Aqua sweater mixed with bright orange pants, a short sleeve light pink shirt and super tailored yellow trousers, a beautiful oversized flower graphic print on a white woven shirt worn with black pants, and fitted sweaters with stripes were worn underneath really nice trench coats and paired with dressy shorts. Raf Simons has a special way of making all this risky combinations look incredible; we applaud him for this daring collection.

We attended the Calvin Klein Resort collection this morning and found the it to be fresh, with clean lines, simple with a modern edge. Model Jac opened the show with a chalk silk and cotton chain stitch coat and chalk silk flared skirt. We noticed delicate chain stitching was throughout the collection, also with small darts and seaming were prominent. Colors in the collection were mostly tans and whites with pops of chartreuse green and lemon-y yellow. We think designer Francisco Costa stayed within his usual modern aesthetic yet offered more drapey and relaxed silhouettes for this resort collection.

This past week many of the major fashion houses showed their latest resort collections. The designers were inspired by many destination themes. Some of the designers used this additional popular 3rd fashion season as a way to show things that may not have made it in their large Fall and Spring collections. Instead of super polished sophistication that most cruise collections have, the British designer Christopher Bailey at Burberry Prosum went slightly more faded and vintage-y inspired. Alexander Wang showed flowy cropped tops with extremely short skirts and shorts for the downtown edgy set. Rachel Roy's woman was the ultimate international glamourous jetsetter who mixes eclectic jewelry, dresses and trousers from Bombai to Abu Dabai or Paris. We loved drapey relaxed double- breasted suits at Bottega Veneta and found it refreshing that they sent out some male looks at the end of their show. We thought the colorful one-shoulder cocktail dresses at Christian Dior were something new to be offered for resort.


Christian Dior Resort

Alexander Wang Resort

Rachel Roy Resort

Burberry Prosum Resort

Bottega Veneta Resort

The latest Chloe collection reminded us on the best of 70's glamour: the warm earth tones, leather trousers and preppy sophistication. The color palette was the main focus and allure in this collection with chocolate browns, camels, beige, cinnamin and spicey colors. The route Chloé has taken for Fall seems to be right on trend with what we have been seeing: many different shades of brown.

The new Fall 2010 Valentino collection which showed in Paris was delicate and exquisite. Keeping up with the love affair from last season of ruffle detail, the collection was soft and flowed beautifully. The color palette had softer colors like light beige, tans and cremes, light pinks and also more intense colors like black and its signature "Valentino" red.

Nicolas Ghesquière presented a very futuristic and youthful Fall 2010 collection for Balenciaga. Color blocking was a key detail mixing aqua, orange, light blue, brown white and grey into crafted and innovative garments. He used various materials such us quilted cashmere, and perforated fabrics and prints. We specially loved the printed tops that unrolled into fitted pants with beautiful matching mini jackets. The coats were also exquisite and very elaborate. Mr. Ghesquière as always pushes haute couture to a higher level and his new collection is an example of technology playing an important role in the development of fashion into the future. Well done!