• Previous God Rest His Soul: Honoring the '70s Style of Isaac Hayes
• The Naughty Librarian: The Masochism and Style of "Martha" Next

• August 12, 2008
• Runway and Shows

Danish By Design

The best of Copenhagen Fashion Week returns. By Natalia Rachlin, Photographs by Sacha Maric

Copenhagen was aflutter last week as Paris Hilton and the city's own Fashion Week arrived in the Danish capital on the very same day. As curious as we are about the super tart's galavanting (we'll leave that to the 'loids), we headed directly to the shows to see what the Danes were up to for spring/summer '09. For the first time in our three seasons of coverage, we were joined by some fellow American press, including the likes of Lynn Jaeger of The Village Voice, Mickey Boardman of Paper, and Romney Leader of style.com, implying that Copenhagen might just have become part of the official Fashion Week circuit.

That said, we also heard some concerned rumblings 'round town—some seem to worry that CFW might be trying a little too hard to become the next Paris or Milan—so much so, that in the midst it has alienating the young, emerging designers that gave this Nordic city its fashion cred in the first place. This season did, in fact, have markedly less of the new and unestablished, and more of the mainstream and commercial, but the Copenhagen crowd still gave us plenty to look at. Our favorite suspects like Won Hundred, Stine Goya, Henrik Vibskov, and Wood Wood never cease to impress, but there's plenty of other good stuff coming out of Copenhagen—here's our roundup of the new and the noteworthy.

Jean // Philip

This young Dane caught our eye last season with his premier collection, and once again, Jean Philip made his mark with an encore collection that stayed true to his raw but decadent aesthetic. The gray-scale collection (with a few shots of orange), which is almost entirely unisex, reinforced JP's staples: skinny trousers, fitted button-downs, and plenty of bondage-inspired detailing. But this time around, the collection was kicked up a notch with a pair of calf-skin leather pants that went from over-indulgent to casually exorbitant thanks to an old-school elastic waistband, and a boyish but bold tracksuit that became surprisingly relevant when done in gray linen with black leather detailing. More photos...

Wackerhaus

This was the first time at CFW for Trine Wackerhaus, but since its launch in 2003, her label has steadily been collecting a following. Known for her ability to turn classic men's looks into softer, feminine versions, the s/s '09 collection used grays, metallics, and corals to create subdued yet elegant looks. Highlights included a pair of coral high-waisted trousers cut just below the knee, and a structured white jumper with spaghetti straps that had the perfect balance of shy school-girl meets bitchy PR chick (when worn with heels, of course). More photos...

Bibi Ghost

This emerging designer made a big leap from last season, when she showed her first collection, which was just a tad too quirky for its own good. This time around, Bibi showed a more grown-up version of her minimalist geometric cuts with an Asian inspired sensibility. The patterned mini-dresses, loose-fitting peach trousers, and structured dresses in a thick black cotton revealed a certain playful aesthetic that seemed to reveal that this is a designer with a sense of humor, someone who wants people to remember that fashion should never be taken too seriously. As it happens, her stuff is sold at Henrik Vibskov's Copenhagen store, so one could consider that Bibi Ghost is the latest addition to the fashion pranksters running about town. More photos...