Berlin Fashion Week: Patrick Mohr's Appalling Apparel, Terrifying Models

Yesterday in Berlin, fashion designer Patrick Mohr presented a show titled “Are We Shaved?” The clothes were bizarre; the models were… unusual. Brace yourself for a nightmarish acid trip through gender, body-consciousness and clown wigs.

What seems like just a slouchy T-shirt gets more (interesting? frightening? odd?) when you pay attention to the sleeves. Hands are restricted, bound.

Mohr seems interested in blurring the lines between male and female, or making items which are unisex.

Has a sunny color ever looked so sinister?

What about now?

According to a blogger from Demotix, many of the models were bodybuilders. “The show had a unisex theme, focusing on the idea that the differences between men and women are of little importance.”

Skinny jeans and wigs for everyone!

Make that: Skinny jeans and wigs and plastic ponchos for everyone!

Shoes are so 2009.

Is there a commentary in this show about strength, and what the human body can accomplish? Is the future like our prehistoric past? Will we just need simple cover-ups instead of elaborate garments?

Perhaps Mohr is asking, “If the human body is beautiful — whether naturally or engineered to be that way — why hide it?”

Or maybe he’s just trying to scare the crap out of us.

The primary colors and drapey fabrics are easy to get behind.

Suspenders and snails? Less so.

Mohr does seem to think a lot about shape, and shapes. Whether it’s the shape of the human body or geometric shapes, like triangles and squares.

You’ve got to wonder how these unconventional models felt about the clothes, and whether they would ever, ever consider wearing them in a real-life, non-fashion week setting.

This top is like a flag, a coat of arms or horse jockey jersey: Simple shapes and bold colors used to telegraph a message.

For me, Mohr’s most interesting pieces are the ones which have an architectural feel and reveal atypical parts of the body in unusual ways.

Because sometimes weird fashion makes you think, especially if it’s a piece that is intriguing, original and re-interpreting what it means to be clothed or covered.