Funky Suits at Berlin Fashion Week

BERLIN (AP) - German designer Anja Gockel celebrated 15 years of her label Friday by using English supermodel Lily Cole to present her winter 2012 collection at Berlin Fashion Week.

Cole opened and closed the show wearing mainly simple, tailored looks in black, tan and beige. Her last piece was one of the show's most striking - a strapless, 1950's-style chocolate brown lace cocktail dress, covered with brown gauze.

The 22-year-old redhead wore straight hair and a somber expression throughout, but her fellow models sported frizzy hair and smirks, presenting camel-colored chunky jackets, high-waisted pencil skirts and wrap dresses made of red and black abstract prints. Most of Gockel's colors were neutral or muted, but she threw a saucy knee-length red dress in the mix, with capped sleeves and a fitted bust spreading out into a wide skirt.

Cologne-based designer Kilian Kerner also chose bright hues, sending a male model down the runway in a hot pink double breasted suit that garnered audience cheers.

His men's and women's collections showed off more funky suits, the highlight being a tightly tailored sparkly tuxedo suit in black and silver stripes for women, with a looser-fitting version for men. Glitz aside, the cut of Kerner's women's suits was reminiscent of those of subtle French designer Yves Saint Laurent, credited with creating the first tuxedo suit for women.

Kerner's breathtaking black evening gown with sparkling shoulder straps and a puffy bow beneath the chest brought to mind another iconic fashion piece: the long black Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Berlin Fashion Week, which wraps up Saturday, has seen collections from other small European labels as well as larger houses like Hugo Boss and Escada.