Copenhagen Fashion Week, once a small affair with little international impact, has grown exponentially over the past few seasons. With brands like Ganni and Cecilie Bahnsen stocked by online giants Matches, Browns, and Net-A-Porter, and the shows garnering the cream of the crop of industry insiders, its fashion influence is now hard to deny.
While the style seen on the streets of Copenhagen didn't disappoint - take note, dig out your Havaianas, and pair with printed dresses - what we're really getting excited about is the pieces we saw in the SS19 collections. From the new hue of choice (it's more wearable than you think), to functional fashion made for summers in the wilderness, the microtrends to come out of the show schedule will have you planning next spring's wardrobe in no time.
Click ahead to find the designers, looks, and pieces that stole the show at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Summer Sequins
Copenhagen was anticipating Mathilde Torp Mader's debut at the helm of By Malene Birger, and she didn't disappoint. The show saw models stomping along the catwalk to a thumping soundtrack, wearing bold hues and punk detailing fit for a legion of strong women.
Our favourite looks from the collection were the sequin-laden dresses and skirts, which made us consider the impact of heavy sparkle for summer. What would've otherwise been formal, feminine pieces were made stronger with rebellious cut-out body stockings and backless chunky trainers. We want to be a part of the new By Malene gang.
Photo: By Malene Birger
Camping Chic
"For me this season was about chasing a feeling," Ditte Reffstrup, creative director of Ganni, explained. "In Copenhagen in summer, it's tradition that friends get out to the forest or the beach at the weekend...by the end you want to live in the woods." Models were certainly dressed for a summer in the wilderness, as the brand collaborated with Icelandic technical outerwear brand 66° NORTH, bringing an edge of functionality to the looks.
Ganni's signature feminine dresses were paired with camping hats, walking boots, and rain-ready waterproofs. There wasn't a floral print in sight, which marked a change from the brand's previous collections, usually filled street-style-approved botanicals. We can't wait to see Ganni's girls in a more utilitarian get-up, bringing a dose of the Scandi outdoors to our wardrobes.
Photo: Mathias Nordgren
Green Machine
Stine Goya's A Palazzo show was brimming with frou frou femininity, from baby blue boudoir tulle and picnic-ready pink gingham, to floral-smattered suiting. Stine looked to Italian master of interiors and architecture, Renzo Mongiardino, this season, evoking the clashing prints used in his works throughout the collection.
While Stine's dresses are always the standout pieces - we guarantee Danish girls will be donning them all next season - what stood out for us was the lime green jumpsuit. Paired with lilac heels and marble-printed totes, the hue popped and marked the first of many shades of green we spotted throughout the shows. The next Gen Z yellow? We think so.
Bedroom Dressing
Cecilie Bahnsen explained that this season, she wanted to embrace the brand's aesthetic, rather than feel the pressure to start from scratch with each collection. Her design DNA? Architectural, elevated, fantastical pieces, all dreamy and innocent in whites, tulles, and cottons.
This season was no different, but, in taking inspiration from Japanese photographer Osamu Yokonami's photo book, Assembly, which sees groups of girls shot together in the same outfit, she gave each piece its own quirk. While these details range from bow ties to puckered sleeves, our favourite looks were united by their bedroom aesthetic. Soft, billowing, pure white fabrics in empire lines and gathered shorts fit for a luxurious day in bed are what we're aiming to wear next spring.
Photo: Mathias Nordgren
'80s Power
SS19 marked Brøgger's debut show, a schedule highlight many were excited for. The collection, called Margrethe, was inspired by two of designer Julie Brøgger's formative fashion memories: her mother, Margrethe, and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Fusing the '80s and '90s aesthetic of both women, from her mother's power dressing as a law attorney, to the Queen's ladylike yet eccentric glamour, the collection was an amalgamation of the best parts of each decade, where quilted coats met bold florals. Our favourite look, though, was the slouchy lilac suit, complete with oversized silver bow which wrapped around the waist and trailed along the floor. The pastel two-piece is nothing new, but with a thoroughly '80s spin, it's top of our list for SS19.
Utilitarian Details
For its 10th collection, Vår Sommer, Holzweiler also looked to the great outdoors. The runway was a dimly lit giant tent, and a Norwegian poet recited words evoking warm Scandinavian summer evenings. "It’s all about spending time in nature, feeling free and careless, being with the ones you love," co-founder Susanne Holzweiler explained.
Utilitarian details such as climbing rope, belt bags, and khaki raincoats were styled with silky fabrics and soft-focus hues, lending a certain romance to the practicality of the element-battling get-ups. We're expecting chic waterproofs, belaying ropes worn as belts, and the comfiest walking boots to be seen on the streets of fashion week next season.
Photo: HolzweilerLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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