The Trends At Copenhagen Fashion Week Are For Work & Play

Somewhere between shows at Fall 2024 Copenhagen Fashion Week, I found myself in an editor-designated car touching up my lipgloss and chatting about trends with the driver. “It seems to me that style around here falls into two buckets,” I began, pointing out that as a resident of the Danish capital she could perhaps confirm or deny my claims. “On one hand, there’s this very minimalist, classic, all neutral thing going on; on the other, the clothes are very…”

She jumped in. “Sexy?”

And there it was in a nutshell: Much like the city’s famous people-first culture, the local look is all about balance. So it makes sense, then, that every time I visit to take in the collections, I can count on some amount of timeless, capsule-wardrobe kinds of pieces as well as the type of sultry, body-enhancing items one slips into when they want to show off a bit (lately of the ruched and slinky Y2K variety). In some paradigms, of course, this focus on the very wearable could come off as a creative complacency. But I’ve found that Nordic brands work brilliantly when drawing from a foundational aesthetic. By fully understanding what defines their core ethos, they are able to thoughtfully build and expand on ideas each season.

At The Garment, Skall Studio, and Mark Domino Kenly Tan this meant elegantly layered outfits of basics that felt anything but. These catwalks were rich with the kind of fluid, leggy trousers, luxe knitwear, and sumptuous coats one might find in cashmere-stacked closet of Shiv Roy. Still, who amongst us wants to, or can, be understated and refined all the time? (Certainly not me.) That is where the saucy pink leather set at Baum und Pferdgarten or Rotate’s spangled, see-through maxi might come in.

See how these looks and more play into the week’s most noteworthy designs below.

Sugar, We’re Going Down

While parkas have been a mainstay on runways across fashion month for some time now, the Scandi set’s close attention to the puffer in particular felt so fun and modern. At Helmstedt this took the form of a playful cloud print piece, while the majority of Stamm’s runway was dominated by squishy silhouettes of varying lengths (the cropped yellow style above is a favorite). And although J.Lindeberg’s bikini and puffy jacket combination is not the most doable for everyday, the pieces can be broken up and worn different ways — and the full look it will surely make for a cute Instagram picture on your next ski getaway.

Fine & Dandy

How should a woman wear a tie? However, she d*mn well wants, but the designers of Scandinavia have a few worthy ideas as well: paired with a crisp white button-up with a thin sweater or blazer on top (seen at The Garment and Skall Studio respectively) or set against with roll neck tee, shirting, and a bold read leather jacket (Stine Goya).

Hidden In Plain Sight

In many regards, clothing doesn’t get more quotidien that your standard hoodie. But when you strategically sandwich it between a slouchy overcoat and white button-front shirt, as spotted at Baum und Pferdgarten, or follow Rolf Ekroth’s lead by adding a fair isle knit on top, the sporty staple can transform an outfit for the better. You might also consider choosing an option in the same color or motif as the rest of your separates, as demonstrated by Wood Wood, to seamlessly blend it into a look.

Goes Down Smooth

In case you needed a reminder, there is more to the world of leather (and pleather) than a black moto jacket. Get a little girly with it via Pepto Bismol pink set from Baum und Pferdgarten, or go for moody grey à la Aeron. And if you’re searching for something sophisticated to throw over your workwear in the morning, Remain’s long beige overcoat won’t fail you.

Don’t Neglect The Neck

Turtlenecks are never not a good thing to invest in for fall. But the cozy essential feels particularly relevent after observing the way it peeked over the necklines of smartly layered mash-ups at OpéraSport, Mark Kenly Domino Tan, and Lovechild 1979.

Elbow Room

Whereas fashion’s ongoing obsession with opera gloves has mainly stayed within black tie spaces, the week was a veritable crash course in how to cover one’s arms in more casual settings. Just check out Wood Wood, where the accessory was shown in black latex under the sleeves of a boxy charmeuse shirtdress, and Gestuz, whose catwalk included a patent pair coupled with a corduroy jacket. And if you still want to go the dressed up route? Stine Goya’s printed gown and black glove pairing is a beautifully unexpected way to go.

Long Game

As sheer everything mania continues to stick around, it feels most interesting right now in the form of dramatically long dresses — extra points for the addition of bold color or embellishment. For Gestuz, this meant including a translucent red gown, completed with a biker jacket and long gloves, in their collection; Baum und Pferdgarten and Rotate, meanwhile, covered their see-through maxis in glittering crystals.