Five trends from Copenhagen Fashion Week you can wear at any age
September is nearing, and therefore so is fashion month. But before the style set flocks to New York, London, Paris and Milan for the glamorous biannual blur of catwalks, they first descended on Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Seen as the kick-off of the new season, Copenhagen has become the reigning capital of functional fashion – it offers highly creative, yet polished, practical style inspiration for real women with busy schedules. Think chic Scandi cyclists breezing past in kitten heels and sustainable fashion campaigner Pamela Anderson sitting front row, as she did in a crisp all-white ensemble at the ROTATE Birger Christensen show.
“Here in Copenhagen, we embrace the comfortable, yet want to look fashionable. We still want to look great while biking,” said Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave, the design duo behind Baum Und Pferdgarten, a Danish fashion scene stalwart since 1999.
“The Danes are great at finding the perfect balance between dressing up and dressing casually, and always looking totally effortless whilst they do it,” add Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimarsdottir of ROTATE Birger Christensen, a label that straddles between tailored office days and sequinned nights out.
As Copenhagen Fashion Week draws to a close, these are five of the most elegant and wearable trends spotted on the colourful streets of the Danish capital.
Animal print
No longer the preserve of mob wives and Mel B, animal print has been rebranded as a wardrobe basic. The neutral tones that comprise leopard, zebra and similar prints make them surprisingly versatile. Look to 59-year-old Canadian model and influencer Grece Ghanem, who confidently wore zebra-print jeans paired with a denim button-down between shows in Copenhagen. She’s a fabulous example of taking a style risk while maintaining poise and sophistication.
This zebra-print pair of jeans from ROTATE Birger Christensen would look sharp with a casual t-shirt or button-down. Plus, they’re made with organic cotton – a sustainable choice.
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Animal print trousers, £190, ROTATE Birger Christensen, Selfridges
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Leopard maxi skirt, £35, Marks & Spencer
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Nicette jeans, £159, Baum Und Pferdgarten
Proportion play
To add sculptural intrigue to any outfit, throw on an artfully proportioned jacket. Get crafty with trompe l’oeil: lengthen your bottom half by wearing a cropped jacket with a high-waisted bottom or dress, as with this fashion week guest above.
To create a slimming effect on your bottom half, opt for an oversized jacket – big blazers were big business on the streets of Copenhagen this season – with many attendees mixing the traditionally corporate item with more delicate pieces, like lace slips.
At ROTATE Birger Christensen, Madsen and Valdimarsdottir design with proportion play in mind: “We’ve started to factor ultra-feminine shapes into our collections: hourglass silhouettes, cinched waists, delicate fabrics and colours. We love the contrast of these very elegant shapes next to oversized, more masculine forms.”
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Herringbone stripe blazer, £380, Remain Birger Christensen
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Twill jacket, £375, Ganni
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Cropped wrap jacket, £189.50, Claudie Pierlot
Colour drenching
The concept is simple: sticking to one colour creates a continuous line from head to toe, giving the wearer an elongating effect. Have your colours done by a professional to find a tone that complements your complexion, or just wear what makes you happy. Dressing with joy is a foolproof way to look good.
If you’re tempted to try this style, shop like a Dane and keep quality and sustainability in mind: as Martin Asbjørn, creative director at REMAIN Birger Christensen says, “the biggest trend should be buying less and buying better.”
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Nanci jacket, £215, Stine Goya
Manu trousers, £200, Stine Goya
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Euphoria sunglasses, £70, Le Specs
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Mary Jane shoes, £59, Charles & Keith
Long skirts
The return of 1990s fashion may have pulled some skeletons you’d rather not see again out of your closet (hello low-rise trousers), but ankle-grazing skirts are one trend that we’re happy to see is back.
Channel nineties minimalism à la Carolyn Bessette Kennedy with column skirts in luxurious fabrics, like wool in the colder months and breezy linen and organic cotton in summer. Up the romance factor by trying a lace iteration, which graced several runways this season.
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Long skirt, £25.99, Mango
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Safia skirt, £270, Cefinn
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Flared skirt, £89.95, Massimo Dutti
Polished Bermuda shorts
Shorts can be a struggle to wear without feeling overexposed or under-dressed. The ever-elegant Danes have cracked the solution: tailored Bermuda shorts. The longer hemline is flattering for those who don’t want to bare all, while the formal cut and fabric make this typically casual garment feel elevated.
They also play well with the current taste for trouser suits but work for warm weather – which at long last we’re finally enjoying. Try pairing it with a ribbed vest and dainty mules for a simple yet chic look.
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Sahaveny shorts, £130 ,Samsøe Samsøe
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Twill shorts, £95, COS
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Straight leg shorts, £124.50, Sandro
