A look at the colourful world of style

Some staggering outfits graced the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin which provides designers with an international platform to showcase their collections to thousands of industry insiders.

Buyers, retailers, celebrities, VIPs and members of the regional, national and international press attend from around the world. The seven-day event has long fought to compete with the glamorous shows in Milan and Paris – but has now found its groove by showing more wearable designs in line with the fashion direction of the city.

Escada Sport, from German luxury fashion house Escada, got things started by presenting a series of ready-to-wear trousers and dress selections.

The Munich-based company brands itself on being “understated chic with metropolitan allure, and cool femininity.”

More than 50 labels are presenting their 2012 collections.

And on the streets of Paris

East met West at the Paris menswear shows as Louis Vuitton sent out a kimono-inspired look and Japanese house Issey Miyake showed an upbeat autumn line full of curvy tartans and checks.

Citing a dialogue between the great cities of Paris and Tokyo as his keynote, Vuitton’s British menswear designer Kim Jones paired classic European suits with Japanese-style silk kimono shirts in grey, green, tan or navy.

Swinging large leather travel totes, in close-fitting suits that also ran from grey to navy and camel, Vuitton’s models cut a refined, gentlemanly silhouette, striding the catwalk in the giant greenhouse of a Paris park.

Something with a difference – a fashion show for children

Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen walked down the catwalk with her two daughters to a thundering applause during the India Kids Fashion Week.

The week is showcasing 20 brands and designers, with daughters walking down the ramp.

And all of the participating children attend with the permission of their schools and are accompanied by parents.

Each youngster is allowed to participate for three hours – but they do not receive prizes or money, just certificates.