Jens Laugesen
LONDON, September 23, 2003
By Sarah Mower
Sure, the current mood may have turned to optimism and femininity—but who’s going to dress all the tomboys out there who will never feel pretty in pink? Hopes were high for Jens Laugesen, a Danish-born designer educated in Paris and at Central Saint Martins. The impressively organized Laugesen has already delivered two on-the-money collections full of pieces that fit nicely into the military/utility tendency.Sad to say, those who turned up eager to witness a new fashion visionary—or even find a sharp new angle on a well-established subcult—went away nonplussed, if not exasperated. Laugesen works in cut-up, monochromatic T-shirts, sweats, knits, and deconstructed tailoring. But his first look, a loose jacket over leggings in layers of cream and gray and festooned with hanging straps, carried a distinct air of déjà vu. As he progressed into canvas leggings heavily cross-laced at the back, the comparisons with collections shown last season—most obviously, the work of Helmut Lang—were painfully unavoidable.
There may have been some oversized knits and overgrown vests that stood out among the layers, but however well Laugesen is capable of executing individual pieces, he can’t escape the expectations that face every young designer who ventures onto the runway. Next season, Laugesen should work out what he has to say and articulate it in a voice that is his alone.
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Spring 2004 Ready-to-Wear
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A.F. Vandevorst Alberta Ferretti Alessandro Dell'Acqua Alexander McQueen Andrew Gn Anna Molinari Anna Sui Ann Demeulemeester Anne Klein As Four -
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Badgley Mischka Balenciaga BCBG Max Azria Behnaz Sarafpour Betsey Johnson Bill Blass Blaak Boudicca Burberry Prorsum -
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Calvin Klein Capucci Carolina Herrera Celine Chloé Christian Dior Clements Ribeiro Comme des Garçons Costume National -
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D&G Daryl K Derek Lam Diane von Furstenberg DKNY Dolce & Gabbana Donna Karan Dries Van Noten Dsquared² -
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Emanuel Ungaro Emilio Pucci Emma Cook Emporio Armani -
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Fendi FrostFrench -
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Gianfranco Ferré Giorgio Armani Givenchy Gucci -
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Haider Ackermann Hamish Morrow Helmut Lang Hussein Chalayan -
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Imitation of Christ -
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Jean Paul Gaultier Jens Laugesen Jill Stuart Jil Sander John Galliano Jonathan Saunders Julien Macdonald Junya Watanabe -
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Kenneth Cole New York Kim Jones Krizia -
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Lagerfeld Gallery Lanvin Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luella -
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Marc by Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs Marni Martine Sitbon Martin Grant Matthew Williamson MaxMara Michael Kors Miguel Adrover Missoni Miu Miu Moschino -
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Narciso Rodriguez Nina Ricci -
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Oscar de la Renta -
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Paul Smith Women Peter Som Pierrot Prada Preen Proenza Schouler -
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Rachel Comey Ralph Lauren Rick Owens Roberto Cavalli Rochas Roland Mouret -
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Sebastian Pons Sonia Rykiel Sophia Kokosalaki Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows -
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Temperley London Tim van Steenbergen Tommy Hilfiger Tuleh -
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Undercover -
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Valentino Vera Wang Veronique Branquinho Versace Versus Viktor & Rolf -
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Y-3 Yohji Yamamoto Y’s Yves Saint Laurent -
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Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo
