For this Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, designer Michael Michalsky scaled back from “larger than life” to a foot tall. At the Anna Jill Lüpertz Gallery, nestled in an ivy-lined courtyard on the same street as Acne Studios, Michalsky presented 15 3-D-printed Pandoras, or poupées de mode, dressed in his recent couture collection. Michalsky’s mini mannequins are high-tech versions of the 17th-century fashion dolls that Parisian couturiers used to show their designs to prospective clients in international royal courts. The petite presentation is a playful deviation from a designer known for his extravagance. Since its inception in 2007, BFW has relied on Michalsky to provide its big red carpet events. For the past four years, he organized StyleNite, filling Berlin’s Tempodrom with local celebrities and fans who watched Lady Gaga, Marina and the Diamonds, and the opera singer Nadja Michael open for his collections. This season, Michalsky’s absence from the week’s official itinerary may be due to his role judging Germany’s Next Top Model alongside Heidi Klum, taking his time away from the atelier. Whatever the explanation, the miniature draped and embroidered creamy white, ice blue, and daffodil frocks are a reminder that Michalsky’s designs are stunning without a surrounding spectacle.
Stay tuned for more Fashion Week Berlin news all week.
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