.HBC Couture - Designer Scouts II

Originally determined to skip Berlin Fashion Week as a whole (courtesy of the blazing heat that Berlin seems to be blessed with these days), only the Designer Scouts event at .HBC could lure me out of my air-conditioned appartment, dressed to the nines and ready for four hours of fashion, music, drinks and good conversation.

Here's the short film of the shows which I shot and edited:

(click here for higher resolution and better quality)

*For more photos of the event, check out the official Designer Scouts website. You might also be interested in my post on the previous show which took place in January.

travelettes flea market

Berlin is known for it's variety of Sunday morning flea markets and the hidden treasures that can be found at these. Mauerpark, Boxhagener Platz, Neukölln: no tourist goes back home without having obtained a little something to show off to friends and family (What, a 10€ handsigned Iggy Pop vinyl AND Levi's denim cut-offs for just 2€?).

Last Sunday however, there was an addition to the classic Berlin flea market repertoire: the 1st Travelettes.net flea market, themed Holiday. Since Travelettes is an online travel magazine/blog for girls, only ladies planning a trip in the near future could participate and sell their stuff. With a 1-month surfing trip throughout Europe lined up for myself, I was slightly intimidated by the rest of the sellers, many of which were planning to explore Australia, India or Thailand.

Nevertheless, it turned out to be an incredibly pleasant day. Katja Hentschel, journalist and mastermind behind the entire function, did not only provide the perfect holiday playlist to set the mood, but also supplied us with enough coffee and snacks to last the day. Visitors were able to browse through heaps and heaps of vintage clothing and shoes, self-made jewelry and accessories, as well as enjoy cold drinks at the bar or receive a 1€ manicure at the door.

Thanks to the enormous amount of positive feedback, there may be another flea market at the end of August - so keep your eyes open!

More photos and video can be found on the Travelettes website.

sideseeing berlin: take a stroll

Who's in for a little fashion, art and music this sunday? Sideseeing is an open air market/fair comprised of numerous stalls selling self-made jewelry, fashion and design items by local designers. It's known for attracting a colourful crowd of people, delicious refreshments and an entertainment programme that's just as awesome as the items for sale ;)

Come and check it out! This Sunday, 13:ooh - 2o:ooh at Maybachufer Neukölln (more info on the sideseeing website).

tonight! don't miss out!

the sunny side of life

"We start to party when others go to bed!" a Norwegian tourist proudly proclaimed last weekend, leaning against the bar at Zur Möbelfabrik, sucking on his Vodka Lemon and feeling oh so Berlin. I daresay it's not very unconventional to begin a night by catching the last S-Bahn (during the week) or running into a Kaiser's supermarket just before it closes at 24:00h to stock up on whatever will last you through the night. What many visitors and tourists are unaware of, however, is that here in Berlin we don't wait until the sun goes down to have a good time.

Especially in the summer time, all sorts of festivities and celebrations draw crowds of young and old to the streets of Berlin. The first of May - traditionally a day of street riots and political protests - nowadays also encompasses street fairs and open-air parties all throughout Kreuzberg and the Wrangelkiez. This year, one could enjoy some fine electro tunes in front of Luzia (Oranienstraße) and around the Spreewaldplatz (Görlitzer Park).



Last fall, 350 participants attended an anti-climate change demonstration which doubled as a silent rave party throughout the streets of Berlin-Mitte. While political activism and environmental consciousness stood at the forefront of this event, the tunes of legendary Dr. Motte and Dj Dirty Doehring (Bar 25) caused every electro-loving Berliner's heart to skip a beat.


Among the annual Karneval der Kulturen and Bergmannstraßenfest (which are coming up this and next weekend), there's a bunch of low-key and semi-secret rave parties taking place in and around Berlin all throughout the summer. To figure out the when&where, keep a lookout on the internet (Facebook; Berlin-based blogs such as IHeartBerlin.de) ...or simply ask one of the many hipsters milling around Görlitzer Park ;)

Having said that, I would like add that these parties rarely end when the sun sets... so even if you prefer spending the daytime hours in bed (and can actually afford to do so), you won't miss out!

melt! klub weekender: LCD Soundsystem à Berlin

Anyone still convinced that all Germany has to offer is bratwurst and beer has clearly never been around long enough to experience what its really like around here. Another common misconception amongst travellers is that the only place to have fun in Germany is in larger cities like Munich, Hamburg and of course BERLIN. Au contraire: especially if you're considering to stop by during the summer, it might of interest to check out one of the many open air music festivals traditionally located in smaller towns and villages.

A true gem of the German festival scenery is the Melt! festival, which takes place annually in Ferropolis, the "city of steel" (near Dessau, Germany). The lineup for Melt! 2010 (July 16 -18) is no less impressive than that of the past 12 years. Among popular indie rock acts such as The XX, Miike Snow, Bonaparte, Johnossi and Two Door Cinema Club, a multitude of legendary DJ acts will heat up the crowd (can you spell Booka Shade, Tiefschwarz or C-R-O-O-K-E-R-S?). If you're still not convinced, check out the entire line-up here.

Anyone unwilling to leave the comfort of good old Berlin for some good music and Melt! atmosphere had the opportunity to check out the Melt! Klub Weekender, which took place May 6 -8 smack in the city centre. After performances by "Errors" and "Yacht", no other than LCD SOUNDSYSTEM took the stage and played an incredible (almost) 2 hour set. Walking home that night with the 1/2 drum stick that hit me during the Errors set and humming "New York I love you, but you're bringing me down", I knew the 20€ for a Melt!Klub day-pass was money very well spent.

stage jam-packed with equipment

Errors frontman Simon Ward
LCD Soundsystem

be there or be square.

culinary cinema

As a kid, I repeatedly refused to try peanut butter & jelly sandwiches because I was convinced that there could be no way two so seemingly different things could go well together. Imagine how distraught I was when, at the age of 14, I reluctantly had a tiny bite of my sister's pb&j sandwich... and realized I had just tasted one of the best snacks of all time!

I share this anecdote because I firmly believe that some facts exist simply to be proven wrong. Like the fact that when you go to the movies, you should eat popcorn. Or nachos with cheese dip. And lots of candy on the side. I remember various instances at which I exited the cinema feeling like a junkfood wastebasket, not at all content with myself. Little did I know that one day, I would be introduced to the concept of 'culinary cinema'.

The idea is simple: participants first attend the private screening of a selected film, which is preceded by introductory words of the film's director. Afterwards, they take part in a group lunch (or dinner), which is prepared to match and reflect the previously seen film.

My friends and I went to see The Rainbow Warriors of Waiheke Island, a documentary by the dutch film maker Suzanne Raes. The movie tells the story of a group of first-generation Greenpeace activists, who set sail on an old barge with the intention of protecting mother earth from the dangers of nuclear waste transports, whale hunting and other risky businesses. Scene snippets from old Greenpeace film archives are contrasted with coverage of the former crew member's live's today. The focus of the film lies not only on an accurate depiction of the activists' lifestyle in the seventies and eighties, but also on the detonation of two bombs in 1985 which had been placed on the ship by french secret service agents, destroying the vessel and killing a crew member.



After seeing The Rainbow Warriors of Waiheke Island, we enjoyed a meal prepared by Wam Kat, peace activist and former crew member of the Rainbow Warrior himself! Although his days of sailing the seas are over, Wam Kat is still a vehement peace activist. He works as a cook at political protests and demonstrations around the world, and has recently publish a book entitled 24 Rezepte zur Kulinarischen Weltverbesserung (recipes for improving the world through culinary means). Subsequently, the 3-course menue which he prepared for us consisted entirely of vegan and wholefood products. My personal favourite: vegan apple crumble. Hmmmm!

.Q & A session with Raes and Wam Kat

99fire film award ceremony: review

"I was just in it for the thrill, the concept is so unique" one of the contestants told me at last week's 99fire films awards ceremony in the Berliner Admiralspalast. Admittedly, he did look very snug: suited up, free drink in hand, and surrounded by prominent figures of the German TV- and film industry. Probably a little more exciting than the average German twenty-something's Thursday night...

The grand prize of 9.999€ went to Sofia Bavas and her crew for their film "Zinkowski - Gegen den Rost der Welt". Further awards were given out in the category "Best Camera" and "Best Idea". All winning submissions can be viewed on the 99fire films website.

Bavas and her crew receiving their award from German actress Bettina Zimmermann.

filmtastic.

It's times like the Berlinale when you wish the day had 48 hours and things like school and work didn't exist: a world in which all you had to do was sit back in the red velvet seats of a cinema, armed with pocorn and ready to enjoy the screening of yet another brilliant film.

Sadly, this dream world is as far away from my reality as it could possibly be at this point in time. Final exams are inching closer and closer, and leisure has become I vaguely remember from Christmas break. But - enough with the whining, life is too short to waste it with complaints and self-pity! That in mind, I ventured out of the coziness of my apartment and into the snowy city to see what this year's Berlinale had to offer.

Apart from attracting esteemed figures of the international film industry, the Berlinale also serves as a great platform for up-and-coming film makers. I was able to watch Zona Sur (directed by Juan Carlos Valdivia), the first Bolivian film ever to be part of the Berlinale. While Zona Sur has already been screened at various international film festivals and can boast a number of award nominations, hispanic cinema remains underrepresented in our culture - which is a shame, considering the masterpiece that Zona Sur can rightfully be described as. I shy away from trying to summarize and analyze the film, since it's images and dialogues speak far louder than the written word can.



To find out more about the film, visit the official website.

99 seconds...

... isn't a lot of time. Barely enough to eat a Snickers bar, and not even close to the time it takes for my internet browser to open after I restart my computer. 99 seconds can pass so quickly, unnoticed and insignificant.

Sometimes, however, 99 seconds is more than enough time. Take the 99 fire films award, for example. It was created in 2009 and serves as a platform for everyone willing to dive into the creative pool of film making. Amateur directors and film fanatics are just as welcome as anybody else to register online and participate in the competition.

This year's registration is already closed - and time has run out! Competitors had exactly 99 hours to produce a short film on a specific topic, which has yet to be revealed. Nine lucky finalists will present their work at the official awards ceremony in the Admiralspalast Berlin on Thursday, Feburary 18th. The winner of the 99 fire films award will then receive the prize of - you guessed it - 9.999€. Further prizes will be awarded in the categories 'best camera' and 'best idea'.

Screenshots of the winning submission of 2009, "Schlafstörung":


This event is running simultaneously to the Berlinale, Berlin's international film festival, which I will soon be reporting back from - so keep comin' back for more ;)

when i cruise the streets of berlin, they are filled with music

soul food

Previous to my first culinary experience at Satyam, I had associated Indian cuisine with chicken tikka masala, mutton madra and a lot of bathura (baloon-shaped fried bread). Today, I stand corrected. Indian cuisine by no means needs to include some form of meat to be rich in taste. In fact, all of the dishes offered at Satyam are strictly vegetarian and organic and can be prepared vegan upon request. The menue includes soups, salads, tofu and vegetable dishes, and specialties from southern India.

However, eating out at Satyam is more than just a treat for the tastebuds. Before placing their order, customers are invited to take a simple multiple-choice test, thus defining their Dosha-type. Upon learning which of the three elements of Ayurveda they match most closely, guests may also order from the special Ayurveda menue.

Most notable about this restaurant are quite frankly the staff and the kindness with which customers are treated. You can expect complimentary chapatti and extensive assistance in choosing from the menue, should you need any. The ayurvedic mindset conveyed at Satyam is very sincere. Upon delivering our compliments to the chef, the latter responded, "the food will always taste good if it is consumed by kind and polite people". Delicious food and a feel-good atmosphere - what more could one ask for?

Satyam is open daily, from 11:30h - 24:00h. It is located on Goethestraße 5/ Ecke Knesebeckstraße, 10623 Berlin. Main dishes around €7. For more information, simply stop by or have a look at the website.

Michalsky, Lala Berlin and Kaviar Gauche

Fashion Week the 3rd: Friday's Michalsky Style Nite was yet another event which took place outside the Mercedes-Benz tent on Bebelplatz. While Michalsky, Kaviar Gauche and Lala Berlin ranked among the most-hyped shows at the MBBFW in June, this season the three labels deliberately dissociated themselves and pooled together for a breathtaking showcase in the Friedrichstadtpalast.

Naturally, the choice of location allowed for a very extravagant and elaborate runway setup. Impressive audio installations and light effects topped off the spectacle. However, it seems as though Michalsky's futuristic catwalk and the 'human disco ball'-performance preluding Kaviar Gauche's show outshone the actual fashion designs that were presented. Sensory stimulus en masse or just a massive overkill? You decide.

(click on 'HD off' for a better view)

.(images via welt.de and Vogue.com)
.

.HBC Designer Scouts

Berlin Fashion Week is about much more than just the big white tent on Bebelplatz. In fact, a lot of its charm lies in alternative off-site events, like the .HBC Couture: Designer Scouts runway project.
On Thursday night, the art space/party venue was jam-packed with an eclectic and terribly fashionable crowd of artists, hipsters, journalists and fashion-lovers. In between the three sets of shows, one could enjoy a free drink or two (spotted: unknown woman stashing numerous bottles of Becks beer in her handbag) or mill around and get acquainted with the other guests, which included the likes of Katja Hentschel, Jan Joswig and nearly every fashion blogger I can think of. Amongst the designers who presented their work were Starstyling, JuliaandBend, von Bardonitz, Don't Shoot the Messengers and A.D.Deertz.

As soon as the last model had stepped off the runway, the doors of the former Hungarian culture institute also opened themselves for the general public: party tiiime! I had the pleasure of meeting Gerlinde from Vienna and Julia Stelzner, both journalists and hobby-bloggers themselves. My personal highlight of the evening: getting photographed for an American fashion magazine's "Berlin Streetstyle" story. To top it all off, this morning I discovered a shot of myself and my 80ies-style silver blouse on LesMads, my all-time favourite blog! Oh, what a night...

A couple of shots straight from the runway (yay for front-row seating!):

Sverige i Berlin

After three consecutive days of roaming the snowy streets of Berlin, visiting showrooms, gallery openings, fashion shows and after-show parties, I have found a little bit of time to reboot and recapitulate the hustle and bustle of Berlin Fashion Week.

On the agenda for Day 1: a series of shows at the Showfloor Berlin, themed "eco chic" and exclusively featuring Swedish designers. As with rock music, children's books and cheap furniture, the Swedish are pioneers in eco-friendly and 'sustainable' fashion design. Although I only managed to stay for the first two shows of the night - Matilda Wendelboe and Righteous Fashion - I was pleasantly surprised by what was presented on the runways. Wendelboe and the Malmö-based designer duo behind Righteous Fashion proved that fairtrade and eco-friendly does not have to equal bland cotton dresses or back-to-Woodstock hippie chic.