Copenhagen Fashion Week Roundup Pt. 2

A combination of Danish fashion big guns and younger independents made up the schedule of the penultimate day of Copenhagen Fashion Week. One of the more exciting new names, Moonspoon Saloon, with its combination of fashion and performance art stood out as the first show of the day and Dazed Digital grabbed a few words with the designer Sara Sachs that will be up in a separate report later.

Jean // phillip, another relatively new name on the Danish fashion block, creates clothes that combine the minimalist norms of Scandinavian fashion design but with a surprising element of sex appeal. This was especially evident in the A/W 09 collection which cut slim silhouettes for menswear in fabrics that ranged from provocative leather, pvc and sheer black chiffon to the more subdued wool in black and grey, jersey and black and white woolen tartan.

From its niche of hoodies and tees which have been the popular staples of Wood Wood, came a collection that involved a lot of casual and masculine tailoring, especially for womenswear where wide legged trousers, oversized shirt dresses and jumpsuits formed the majority of the looks. Retro American collegiate and lumberjack themes led the way for much of the menswear.

Barbara i Gongini was an another interesting name on the schedule and this half Danish, half Faroese designer does not compromise on her experimentations with forms and structure in her collections. A particular ongoing motif is her knitted tulle pieces which were the talking points of the collection. Based on the knitting tradition of the Faroe Islands, an agressive volume is created with endless lengths of tulle. In a largely black collection, the tulle also provided the only flash of dramatic colour in fluro pink and bright yellow.

The annhagen of A/W 09 might not be recongisable when compared to the annhagen of yesteryear. Gone are the dark, rock-inclined, deconstructed clothes and instead, with the appointment of Jørgen Simonsen as chief designer who previously worked at Valentino, Versace, Givenchy and Galliano, we got reflections of this mountain of experience and a clear leaning towards Haute Couture style. The multi-stranded collection incorporated giant knits, decadent fur pieces, thigh high split dresses, high shouldered tailoring and a look-at-me glamour that the Danish celebrity front row lapped up with much enthusiasm.

The final show of the day was in the semi self-governing state of Christiania with approximately 850 residents and plenty of pot circulation. An apt venue for Henrik Vibskov's legendary shows, which endearingly involves the public forking out 75kr or two packs of cigarettes (the latter being an expensive commodity around here) for entrance. Inside the Grey Hall, bleachers were set up for the audience as well as free-flowing Danish beer and it is all these elements which created an exciting build-up for a show that is unique on the Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule.  Paris menswear week already saw the presentation of Vibskov's menswear collection but the Paris show goers won't have got the same atmosphere seen here or the womenswear which played with prints of course as well as an array of swing coats with nods of amish styling.