Berlin Fashion Week with Tamaris

Earlier this week I wrote about the first day of my trip to Berlin with German brand Tamaris. Day 1 was about exploring the city, while day 2 was the main event – Berlin Fashion Week.

I’ve been to my fair share of Fashion Weeks – London many times, New York a handful and Milan just once. Although it’s always fantastic to see style in different cities, Fashion Week often feels the same wherever you are, especially when you’re working. It’s stressful, it’s judgemental and it’s very, very tiring.

Berlin, however, felt very different. Usually Berlin’s Fashion Week is held near the Brandenburg Gate but due to the World Cup, this season’s event was at Erika-Hess-Eisstadion – an amazing, almost greenhouse-like space that was filled with flowers and sunshine. Immediately it felt more relaxed, more friendly and much more accepting than any other Fashion Week I’ve been to. There were no posers and very few ‘street style’ photographers which meant the pressure to dress perfectly was off. Although there were stylish people everywhere, the fashion was more accessible and less ‘early 90s Courtney Love’ (as is often the case in London).

There was also LOADS more to do at Berlin Fashion Week. The main space was full of branded stalls offering free manicures, champagne, photobooths, leather notebooks and much more. As a guest of Tamaris, we headed straight to the Tamaris stall where a huge electronic graffiti wall was set up for visitors to design their own shoes. Very cool!

With nails freshly painted and a glass of bubbles in hand, we settled ourselves in the bloggers’ lounge where there was even more champagne (and iced coffees, Diet Coke and sparkling water – so fashion) and delicious food to enjoy while we waited for our first show.

After a couple of shows, we were treated to a backstage tour and a sneak peek of the big show for the day – Marc Cain.

The Marc Cain show was an absolute highlight of the day. The circus theme was perfectly expressed through sparkly curtains, elephants honking, tigers roaring and a breathtaking performance by acrobats to kick things off.

And the clothes were just as special as the staging, with slouchy suits, big, bold floral prints and sharp tailoring. Right up my street and straight onto my wishlist.

The whole day was a welcome departure from the usual Fashion Week nonsense and thoroughly enjoyable. It was interesting to learn about the Tamaris brand, too – it’s not a well-known name over here but I think that’s about to change. One in two German women wear Tamaris shoes and it’s one of the biggest brands in the country, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on them!