When thinking about Fashion Week, the Big Four (New York, London, Milan and Paris) can often eclipse proceedings, but there are a plethora of other cities that are showcasing incredible labels that deserve their spot on the fashion map.
Copenhagen, for example, has taken over as the 'cool kid' fashion week, with the street style garnering as much attention as the runway looks. Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo showcases the best of Japanese fashion, while São Paulo Fashion Week just celebrated its 30th anniversary.
© Courtesy of Marc CainAnd then we have Berlin, a city that in winter has always had a sense of drama, but for AW26, it sure dressed up for the occasion. Proceedings just wrapped in the German capital, and the city did what it does best - shaking up the status quo and remixing references for a thoroughly modern spin on the classics.
If Milan polishes and Paris preens, Berlin experiments.
Across the AW26 runways, Berlin served up a mood board of inspiration for the season ahead. Designers toyed with proportion and softness and leaned into clothes that looked lived-in but thought through. Shows were raucous despite the plummeting temperatures outside.
Utility flirted with romance, tailoring loosened its grip, and the fashion felt über wearable.
© Getty Images for Marc CainAttendees were treated to stellar shows such as Marc Cain, who always delivers a spectacle. This year's affair took place at Funkhaus Berlin and had fashion superstars Jerry Hall and her daughter Elizabeth Jagger perched on the front row.
Gossip Girl alumni Kelly Rutherford also looked sensational in a floral midi dress in the most delicate shade of sage green.
© Getty Images for Marc CainOn the Marc Cain runway, the brand showcased looks that oozed vintage exuberance. Pill box hats - H! Fashion's top tip for the runaway trend of AW26 - were spotted on many a model, teamed with 1940s-inspired faux fur but injected with a modern touch thanks to a seriously zingy colour palette.
© Courtesy of Marc CainFeathers were a theme we're all very excited to embrace here at H! Fashion with traditional shades of black, brown and white usurped for icy blue peppered with rich purple. 70s-inspired sunglasses and deer print faux fur were also highlights, adding a sense of playfulness to wintery ensembles.
© Courtesy of Marc CainMeanwhile, Esther Perbandt served up a gothic fairytale given a slick makeover with top-to-toe black looks in sculptural silhouettes. The effects of the upcoming Wuthering Heights movie promise to ripple into our wardrobes for the season to come.
© Courtesy of Esther PerbandtElsewhere, Berlin-based label Lou de Bètoly gave a darker edge to classic Y2K shapes, thanks to lace finishes and a whole lot of mesh.
© Stefania Danese/launchmetrics.com/spotlightAnd Richert Beil staged an utterly bizarre dinner party to showcase their AW26 collection with attendees enjoying pastries filled with tomato sauce as models dressed in the collection sauntered between the tables.
© Daniele Oberrauch/launchmetrics.com/spotlightGmbH reworked the jacket to deliver a series of seriously covetable coats in unexpected silhouettes that will enhance any ensemble while keeping you toasty warm, what a result.
And as another set of shows wraps for Berlin, the proof is in the - very fashionable - pudding that the German capital only gets more exciting as each season passes. Now onto New York!
