The trick to looking stylish in midlife? Dress like a Danish woman

If there’s one country you should follow for serious style advice, it’s not the oft-feted French. Instead, if you want a laidback, practical yet sophisticated style, take notes from the Danes. Think outfits that you can ride a bike in, yet still turn up to a board meeting or a party and look effortlessly chic.

As Copenhagen Fashion Week kicks off, there will be plenty of opportunities to ogle their relaxed yet polished style. Home to brands including By Malene Birger, Stine Goya, Birger Christensen, Ganni and, the under the radar celebrity favourite, Cecilie Bahnsen, many more new and emerging brands will be out in force in the coming days.

What fans of the Danish look already know is that it’s not reserved for zoomers – in fact,  it’s an easy shortcut to looking stylish and pulled together when you’re over 40, too. “Danish fashion is very egalitarian towards age,” Denise Christensen, CEO of Birger Christensen Collective, agrees. At 50, she has an enviable Instagram account where she shows off her carefully curated outfits, which range from suits by REMAIN (such as the heavy wool blazer, £470; remainbirgerchristensen.com), or items from ROTATE (such as a new season cropped bomber jacket) but also includes Saks Potts (another of the country’s biggest exports) “for their new elevated direction – their shearling and polo shirts are great”, and Aiayu for simple knitwear (such as its yak polo t-shirt, £335, aiayu.com). “Danish women have a sporty, casual simplicity around their lifestyle, that can be seen in the way they dress,” Christensen says.

Laura Meldal Westerskov Nørgaard, 43, Creative Director at accessories brand Yvonne Koné, says that the country’s fashion heritage pays a debt to its long tradition of iconic architecture. Names such as Arne Jacobsen, Vilhelm Hammershøi and Hans J. Wegner “created a very strong fundament for our direction within aesthetics, even before fashion,” she says. This means classic, pared-back design is practically in the Danish DNA – the Leo Bucket Bag (£677; yvonnekone.com) reflects these principles beautifully.

Create a capsule wardrobe

Instead of following trends, Christensen says the key is to build a solid capsule wardrobe made up of “classic shapes, toned down colours” and “not being afraid to dress with confidence”. She says that she sees her “core style more as a base that I continue to play with. I can develop some good, easy looks that I can keep going back to.”

That doesn’t mean it needs to be boring. “There needs to be a small element of quirkiness in the cut or in the mix of materials, it’s all about the mix of quality and conceptual design,” Ane Lynge-Jorlen, 48, director of the young designer platform, ALPHA, says. Look to Elaine Hersby for statement pieces, such as the Lorenza top (£294, elainehersby.com)

Work out your cut

Christensen advises high-waisted trousers and skirts: “The silhouette is flattering on most body types and works both in jeans or in a suit,” she says – try the cocoon pants (£220; remainbirgerchristensen.com). She also loves a high-waisted balloon jean: “The balloon silhouette works for me because of the high waist and the long length acts to elongate your leg and slim your waistline, whilst also having a more directional design,” she says. Ganni’s exaggerated Stary jeans (ganni.com) are a great example of this silhouette. 

Don’t be afraid of dipping into menswear, advises Julie Fagerholt, 56, Creative Director & designer of H2OFagerholt. “I keep an eye out for menswear trends and designs, as much as for womenswear. I find the interplay between the masculine and feminine very interesting.” She likes men’s jeans, particularly paired with a tight tank top to create a flattering silhouette and an oversized blazer. “I can wear this outfit to the office, and head straight to a dinner in the city afterwards,” she says. Baum und Pferdgarten’s Nara jeans borrow from a classic men’s silhouette (£159; baumundpferdgarten.com).

Lynge-Jorlen agrees that the combination of fitted and loose works well, often pairing “large jeans with a deconstructed, fitted white shirt with trainers or tabi shoes” for a daytime look.

Focus on quality and sustainability

When Danes do choose a garment, “the focus on quality and beautifully cut pieces is very important,” Christensen emphasises.

Buying sustainably is also important. That starts with buying less and wearing everything you own for longer. Mona Jensen, 49, creative director and founder of the jewellery brand Tom Wood, which is showing during Copenhagen Fashion Week, agrees that she has a “strong basic wardrobe that I’ve had on repeat for the last 15-20 years.”

While they are on trend, Danish women are never slaves to fashion, meaning, “the Nordic take on fashion tends to last longer due to its functional approach which can help us adopt a healthier, more ethical take to fashion and dressing,” Jensen explains. “We don’t need that much in our closet, but you can easily change details to an outfit to update it for different occasions.”

That also extends to the eco-credentials of the fabric and production methods. The tailoring brand Mfpen uses high-quality dead stock fabrics sourced from European mills for its suiting (blazers start at €240; mfpen.com), Samsøe Samsøe uses recycled polyester for its slinky dresses (£170; samsoe.com), while Baum und Pferdgarten is committed to transparency in its production chain, listing the place of production, including the factory name and location, for each garment on its website.

Think practical

There’s nothing less chic than dressing inappropriately for the weather. Danes know not to be too optimistic, even in the summer. “We have to think about functionally and practically when dressing,” Jensen says. For many women, that means the freedom in their outfits to “ride my bike, as we do in Copenhagen,” according to Lynge-Jorlen. That might be skirts that allow room to pedal (but not so long they’ll get caught in chains), or trousers with a bit of give.

Many Danish designs have practicality inbuilt: Saks Potts’ Shake jeans, for example, come with a leather coin purse attached to the back waistband (€385, sakspotts.com) while its Ada Jacket, a reversible tan shearling, has D-rings on the front, to clip your purse or keys onto (€1,800, sakspotts.com).

That also means wearing practical shoes. Danish women might wear a pointed mule with their evening outfits (more practical than a super high heel), but they are just as likely to wear trainers under smart dresses. Cecilie Bahnsen’s second collaboration with Asics is a case in point, designed to be worn under the brand’s structured gowns (ceciliebahnsen.com).

Practical footwear contributes to that elusive cool factor. “I love that you can throw on a pair of sneakers under sculptural tailoring or a feminine dress, or how we easily can style a statement necklace or diamonds over a simple outfit such as denim,” agrees Jensen.

Scale back

Danes are known for their pared-back aesthetic. Meldal Westerskov Nørgaard says she sticks to a magic number of a maximum of three items: “pants, top and a blazer.. if an outfit consists of too many elements, it becomes too complicated and messy,“ she says.

The same goes for the colour palette. Jenson says that in common with many Scandis, she has “preferred black all my life”. That’s not to say colour is totally out; Stine Goya, for example, represents a new wave of designers championing bright prints in her hand-drawn designs (try the long-sleeved print dress, £370, stinegoya.com). “Stine is the print master in Danish fashion,” says Terenziani. “Her prints are unique and wearing her dresses makes me feel like sharing an art piece with the world.”

Greta jewellery is the secret to bringing more personality to the most dialled-down ensemble. “If I want to add in extra detail to an outfit, I would choose jewellery,” says Jensen, favouring Tom Wood’s Bao Purse, “stacks of ear cuffs and a ring on my pinkie (slim ear cuff, £99, tomwoodproject.com). I like a minimal yet bold presence of jewellery, like wearable art.”