Copenhagen Fashion Week Spring Summer 2019 Diary

In the design savvy, good-looking, food obsessed, Danish capital the only problem for travelers is keeping up with all thats new. It was my first time attending Copenhagen and never once did I feel like an outsider. I was lucky to have attended over 12 shows and presentations in the 4 short days I was there. Getting from place to place presented somewhat of a challenge, but the fashion office provided a double decker pink bus that transported us from venue to venue. The Danish fashion scene is emerging with a capital E. All eyes are on the Scandi girl and the New Nordic look right now. I think what they do so unique here in Denmark is their way of dressing effortless and stylish at the same time. They bike in heels and look fashionably even when it rains. And they have a great history and heritage of style with Danish design and furniture that have gained the way for the rest of the industry. I also believe that this is just the start of a Scandinavian awareness there will be ongoing for a long period. Here is my Copenhagen fashion week spring summer diary. 

Copenhagen fashion week Spring Summer 2019 Diary 

DAY 1 Tuesday

I arrive in Copenhagen on Tuesday early afternoon eager to attend the Blanché show, but alas, my plane was delayed and I missed the show. I checked into my hotel and instead of curling up and taking a nap, head right over to SimplyRAW, a healthy-food option that many people recommended on instagram.For lunch, I had a raw wrap with cabbage and avocado and cashew cream, and it was quite delicious. After a quick change for the evenings events. I went to the Designers Nest show which was inspiring. Held in a steamy warehouse Tuesday evening, Scandinavia’s top five design schools — Kolding, Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Beckmans, and Aalto — presented their annual picks from the graduating classes, their offerings promptly causing wonder, amazement, and quite a bit of hope for the region’s future fashion scene. The highlight was 1^stprize winner Marie Sloth Rousing, who incorporated everyday objects such as umbrellas and racks into breezy silk silhouettes, challenging the way we perceive functionality in design. I was amazed by all the talented designers and it was hard to pick out the top contestants. Scandinavian design dares to be intelligent, it excels with a clearly international potential, and this in itself makes Designers’ Nest Copenhagen Fashion Week’s perhaps most important fashion show.

Finally made it to the Holly Golightly store opening, and the VIU Eyewear / House of Dagmar pop up shop and mingle with all the Danes. Even though there were so many people that I didn’t know, I made some connections and talked about which shows we’re most excited to see and the merits of Scandinavia’s serious bicycle habit. By 10pm, I head to my hotel and crawl into bed.

Vintage top

Temptation Positano white lace skirt

Cult Gaia bag

Day 2 Wednesday

I start the morning bright and early at MUF10. If anyone can gather the Copenhagen it-crowd in the city’s outskirts at 10 in the morning, it’s got to be streetwear label MUF10. In an industrial hall with barrier tape shielding the seating area, the show’s highlights the life and clothing of immigrants and refugees. The first look was presented by Amina Adan (Denmark’s first headscarf-wearing model) accompanied a giant LED screen showing a Danish policeman playing with a refugee kid. 

I then head over to J. LINDEBERG whose theme, Under Construction, cheeky logo appropriations were aplenty. In a cacophony of track shorts, bathing suits, synthetic jackets and tight monochrome dresses, the collection argued its case for the continued relevance of athleisurewear. The casting and styling alike gestured toward an urban, Instagram-friendly aesthetic, not unlike Balenciaga and Vetements, interspersed with what we traditionally would relate to the Lindeberg legacy: impeccably-cut suits. In 2018, these had received a fashionable update, with dark blue and finely checkered blazers accompanying matching cropped shorts.I then take the double decker pink press bus to the Morten Ussing show, and the Haervark show. I loved the bright colors and the clever layering at Morten Ussing.

Lunchtime

Suddenly I am starving and head to the nearest eatery where I demolish a smørrebrød with egg and avocado standing up. It was so worth it.

Over at HAN Kjøbenhavn, known for his clever styling always attracts the cool crowd. He is known as the label is for large-scale scenographies and surprising locations. This season, the Copenhagen men-cum-womenswear brand presented a refined summer collection in the dark interior of a disused warehouse in the Nordhavn district, with a crumbling greenhouse as the totemic center (quite appropriate considering the extreme temperature in the building  – it was boiling hot.) I loved the vintage mesh tops fused with Balenciaga-like outerwear. The styling cleverly clashed faux, riche, and trashy textiles, evoking a dystopian urban narrative, where masculinities and feminities move and transform in the dim corners of underground nightclubs and illegal squads.

My last show of the day was Stine Goya known for marrying unexpected prints and textures all in one look. Surprisingly, the offbeat edge works and creates looks that makes heads turn. This is what I wore for the day of shows.

Rolling Stone t-shirt

Ganni skirt

OFF-WHITE bag

Day 3 Thursday

I wake up, put on my favorite summer dress, pink sandals, and grab a latte at a place called Coffee Collective. They truly have the best coffee at this spot.

Upon arrival at the venue for By Malene Birger, I’m greeted by bouquets of flowers and a sparkling row of glass-bottled waters infused with various fruits and herbs.  All of the seats are dotted with paper accordion fans, which guests are using to cool flushed cheeks in the unusual Copenhagen heat. The inspiration for SS19, the Lush Lady Collection, started in the archive, featuring a recurrent print derived from an archival line drawing of Rubens-esque women from 2009. This was used on everything from shirts to pants and dresses and made for a delicate and fresh take on print. She also took references from nineties streetwear, a very popular theme this season. I loved the sequin dresses at the finale, and the pop of pumpkin orange, emitting sunshine all around.

Fashion Fashion Fashion

I then head over to the Halo show, a very wearable sportswear brand. Six extremely fit military men kicked off the show by dashing down the runway, which was conveniently located in front of a habourside Fitness DK; the models to follow were no less physically impressive.

Laerke Anderson showed great athletic looks that are on my radar for spring.

I had a little break in between shows so I headed to Paleagade for another smørrsbrød. But this time I put herring on top. It was to die for!

Lovechild 1979 showed in an artsy venue 5 flights up in a gallery-like building. I wasn’t so familiar with the brand but her collections was filled with all that stuff she, and most women, would like for herself. Lovechild does not paying much attention to trends, a win win in my book, and makes clothes to fit the female body, in many forms and shapes. That may be why you’ll find most silhouettes in the collections to be slightly oversize, possible to mold and shape and emphasize whatever suits your body.

Next I head over to Heliot Emil, whose black, white, and grey color scheme set a gloomy tone. This season was inspired by Copenhagen underground and Japanese hardware. Windbreakers, bombers, and tracksuits in asymmetrical lines conjured the sort of edge that appeals perfectly to young fashionistas. I enjoyed the series of waist bags, handbags, and cardholders.

Baum Und Pferdgarten is one of my favorite brands coming out of Copenhagen and has been for several seasons. Baum und Pferdgarten have always mastered prints and quirkiness, and they always manage to stand out from the pack of Danish design. Many of the prints took their cues from the vintage vibe currently sweeping fashion. Like the flower print in water-colourish blue, green, purple, and yellow sweeping the runway. I am obsessed with the oversized white shopper tote!

And for the final show of the night, I change into another look for Saks Potts, one of the most anticipated shows of the season. The show was over an hour late, but there were so many people there mingling with photographers, it was such a fun scene. Saks Potts’s jubilee in fur fashion was celebrated with an over-the-top show for 1,200 people at Østerbro Stadium. The collection was titled Number 10, “Olympia”, inspired by the Winter Olympics and figure skating.

Starting with a fine performance by forty gymnasts, in SP stretch bathing suits with the new Olympia print. Followed, like at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, by a model wearing a stunning floor-length white mink “bride gown” with a cape, a train, and swakara sleeves, created in collaboration with Kopenhagen Fur. Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark and the ice skater princess, Pernille Sørensen, along with various types of models, demonstrated the unifying world of sports and the collection’s athletic references. I especially loved the introduction of gorgeous nylon down jackets, trousers, and vests in new colourful prints, the SP signature print in tights.

And here is what I wore

Day 4 Friday

First thing in the am, I head over to the Jewellry show and mingle with all the accessory lovers. Then I have the day free so I wander down to Nyhavn, Copenhagen’s waterfront district. I finally had a chance to sit down for awhile on one of the many floating barges. The parallel rows of 17th- and 18th-Century townhouses are so brightly-colored they almost look fake, like charming, super-sized homes for dolls.

One quick bike ride to a vintage shop and a open air food market and I am smiling ear to ear. On my walk back, I think about what made the past four days feel so special. A lot of changes are taking place: print magazines are folding, designers are decamping from New York to Paris, sustainability is becoming more and more urgent, brands are popping up on Instagram and people are reevaluating how they do things and why. With change comes discomfort, and a lot of thought of what’s ahead.

This fashion week, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and met so many nice people. In New York, that feeling can seem almost wrong, but in Copenhagen, I felt it shining right back. Denmark’s fashion industry is pulsing with joy. It’s riddled with flip flops, frilly dresses and rhinestone claw clips. Everyone looks excited to be there, unabashedly, uncynically.. Copenhagen has a global magnifying glass on it at the moment and everybody is talking about the scandi-style. The women look effortlessly cool, the Danes are the happiest people in the world (hygge is a worldwide trend) and carry themselves with ease. I love their mind-set and can’t wait to go back!

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Here is a final recap of the shows from Copenhagen fashion week