Berlin’s burgeoning Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this week veered (surprisingly) toward the sophisticated and refined — even ladylike. But worry not, the city’s reputation for cutting-edge irreverence shone through as well. Here, ARTINFO picks our five savviest fall ‘13 looks:

It was nice to see the continued use of oxblood at Schumacher (first from left), especially so on a fur skirt.

Patrick Mohr (second from left) went for freak-show chic. We especially like the angled fabric down the forearm of the leather sleeve. Ironically, this collection was designed in collaboration with Reebok Classics.

Miranda Konstantinidou (third from left) channels a Berlin-based artist in residence taking a weekend in Mallorca. Beachwear done Bavarian!

Dimitri (fourth from left) showed this look consisting of leather cigarette pants, blocky ’90s sandals and a tiered rabbit-fur coat. Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, take note.

And finally, Barre Noire's 3D pendant in day-glow yellow is big enough to be a statement, but simple enough for everyday wear …

Then there is the art-influenced collection by young Laotian, Berlin-based designer Hien Le. Moving away from the boldly contrasted color that has trademarked previous collections, Hien softens his palate this season — midnight blue, cream, and burnt gold are hallmarks — turning to monochrome blocks of material instead for visual texture. Single bands of crochet or faux fur break up blouses and sweaters in what the designer claims is a reference to abstract expressionist master Mark Rothko.

It’s a formal reference at best. The material shifts do imitate the subtle vibration found in the artist’s more monochrome works, However, the collection’s signature print, which features in blouses, men’s shirts, and a tea-length, loose dress and is Hien’s second ever, the colors dissipate into one another rather too gradually to be truly Rothko-esque.

That conceptual reaching doesn’t disqualify F/W 2013 from being Hien’s most successful yet. The women’s wear, especially, is indeed a mature step forward for the designer. Rather than referencing a well-established trend such as the deluge of color blocking seen in numerous Berlin collections for more than two years, Le is innovating a look that is forward looking and sophisticated rather than hipster trendy.

See looks from Hien Le’s Autumn/Winter 2013-14 in our slideshow.