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August 6, 2008 4:53 pm
Romney Leader reports from Copenhagen fashion week
It’s intended as a showcase for Danish talent, but at the start of Copenhagen fashion week, a certain American is stealing the show. “So you are here with Paris Hilton?” the man making my falafel sandwich asks me. Though the heiress’s high-profile visit to meet with her Danish handbag designers coincides with fashion week, she will likely not attend a single event—and rumor has it that her demands of 50,000,000 Danish kroner (about $10,350,000) just to show up have been universally rebuffed.
The big show of the day was Noir, where I caught up with Iekeliene Stange (above) backstage. “I like my clothing to tell a story,” she told me, “composed of many different parts.” Here’s the current narrative:
Dress: “Random vintage.”
Scarf: “I got this in Ethiopia.”
Hat: “Stolen from my boyfriend. It’s from a London milliner and there is a pheasant feather attached.”
Bag: “I bought it while traveling in Papua New Guinea.”
Vest: “This used to be in my dress-up bin when I was 5. I put it back into rotation.”
Shoes: “These were my mum’s when she was my age.”
As for the collection, Noir is considered by many the crown jewel of Danish fashion. Today’s Spring 2009 show at City Hall—featuring orchestral accompaniment and a short black-and-white film—was definitely a large-scale production. “Fairies in a rock ‘n’ roll reality” is how the liner notes described the series of silk goddess gowns and crepe de chine blousons anchored with latex leggings and leather biker jackets. “I was trying to create a feeling of lightness, of floating,” said designer Peter Ingwersen. Noir’s commitment to an ethical business model (the main line is 60 percent sustainable, while the secondary line, which debuted today, is 90 percent so) proves it can be done without sacrificing aesthetics, an achievement that should serve as an inspiration to other designers.
To get my mind off my jet lag, I strolled down Strøget to check out Copenhagen’s High Street offerings. A coming-soon Abercrombie & Fitch and a just-opened Urban Outfitters are the latest evidence of the city’s shift to a global shopping destination. Luella Bartley’s capsule collection for UO—a European exclusive—had just hit the floor, but the brutal exchange rate meant the buffalo-check flannel with blouson collar had to stay on the rack. I had better luck across the street at COS, an H&M offshoot that offers sophisticated interpretations of the latest runway looks. An end-of-season
sale meant I snapped up shift with elbow-length sleeves and a leatherlike finish for a steal.
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