Oh Berlin, such a nice suprise! Such a friendly city, so polished but still a bit rough around the edges, right where it should be! Loads of history, but at the same time a very contemporary place.
Did I mention friendly (I'm still a bit stunned about it, the 14 of us cycled around the city for two days and no one was irritated about it, no car drivers tried to run us down, no pedestrians yelled at us for cycling on the sidewalks... amazing!)?
Did I mention friendly (I'm still a bit stunned about it, the 14 of us cycled around the city for two days and no one was irritated about it, no car drivers tried to run us down, no pedestrians yelled at us for cycling on the sidewalks... amazing!)?
Since I went there with work, on a study-trip, I had no time for sewing related shopping, except for a brief but very rewarding visit to The Corner Berlin, a big, nice boutique with almost all my favourite (in theory, I can't afford any of them) brands. And a classy perfume corner with niche brands, including Le Labo, a new acquaintance for me, but oh so lovely (I'm a pefumaniac)! I had a sniff of a few scents, enveloped myself in two lovely ones (this and this one), and then had a closer look on a bunch of very interesting clothes by Lanvin, Alexander McQueen, Ann Demeulemeester, Balenciaga and the list goes on...
My biggest find was that raw edges, exposed zippers, draping and wedges (shoes) are still IN, and that the construction of the clothes was surprisingly simple, but very sophisticated. Inspiring.
The two dresses above are by Lanvin and McQueen; draping and raw edges...even the darts on the Lanvin are a feature, they're on the outside of the dress, with raw edges. It felt wrong to photograph the clothes when I was in the shop, these picture are through the shop window from when I discovered it (loads of ooohs and aaahs from me then, my colleagues didn't quite get it!).
And tonight I had my first draping class. Also inspiring! More about that later....!
Since I did no fabric shopping or anything I have no other hints or tips to share, but Katarina at She Sells Seashells is from Berlin and has made a great miniguide to fabric shopping and thrifting in Berlin, to be found right here!
I do recommend a visit, and I must return myself, if nothing else to visit some of all the interesting museums. And eat loads nice food at great prices again, of course!
I do recommend a visit, and I must return myself, if nothing else to visit some of all the interesting museums. And eat loads nice food at great prices again, of course!
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Great travel post! You explained the city very well, I really got a feel for it.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to read how the class went, draping still seems to be such a mysterious technique to me... Glad that you liked "my" city.
ReplyDeleteMust be a great city, I've never been to Berlin. Nice photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to Katarina! It'll be a great source when I'm in Berlin next week.
ReplyDeleteIf you'll come back to Berlin, you really need to check out the market at the Maybachufer! I got 90% of my fabrics there...Of course, with low prices like these, you have to take a closer look at the fabrics (quality..there's lots of synthetics, sometimes small flaws in the fabric, and there's especially one dealer, the one with lots of colourful dotted, checked and other patterns, who cuts less than the amount paid for), but it's totally worth a try! Hüco is fantastic, too, but keep in mind, that they add 19% VAT when paying. Some more: 'Berlins Welt der Stoffe' (Residenzstraße 84)- similar to Hüco and 'Frau Tulpe'(Veteranenstr. 19) - lots of colourful prints and accessories. you can check them out online,too :)
ReplyDeleteLove Berlin. Glad you did too. Stylish and like you said, still rough around the edges. Thanks for the Katarina link- for next year!
ReplyDeleteBerlin is also one of my favourite cities - your description is absolutely perfect! I loved the people, the public gardens (and beer gardens!), the museums, and the way no one takes anything too seriously. Fantastic photos too!
ReplyDeleteI don't know any European city with so much life, so much to do as Berlin.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful place to spend a weekend.
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