BAUM UND PFERDGARTEN SS24
Still, for all the delightfulness of Baum und Pferdgarten’s detail (like the sleeveless toppers built on flowery textiles), it’s Helle Hestehave and Rikke Baumgarten’s references that put a really big tongue firmly placed in cheek. Titled “A Postcard from Copenhagen,” this season explores the city through the eyes of a tourist. An unusual vision for a label that’s been around since the ‘90s, but with its lovely charm and blithe spirit, it has a point.
Innocent yet gently conceived, the designers’ love for deliberately feminine clothes runs directly to the prevailing spectrum of Scandi offerings through a sporty, wearable sensitivity that has, as it turns out, chosen to champion local communities and tradition in this season’s presentation. “Every summer hoards of tourists descend on the city, filling the streets and joining the people of the city in celebrating the sun and reveling in the beauty of such an iconic place,” read the notes. Exactly right. “Maritime life is still inherent and used by Copenhageners: in the winter they jump into the water before running to the sauna, while in the summer they gather at the harbor baths, soaking in the Nordic sun and taking a dip to cool off.”
So, how did the clothes turn out? There were breton stripes, denim sailor hats, striped knit bags and a plethora of deep navy and crisp white. From there in, Hestehave and Baumgarten’s transpositions got just a little wilder — twirling emblems adorned the Queen’s guards uniforms, while Japanese cherry blossoms that bloom at the King’s Garden were fused into prints across the collection; what’s more, crisp cotton patterned with a new brand monogram and quilted textiles were decorated with rich pink florals. A hard sell, for some. But happily for Hestehave and Baumgarten, the Danish market is one of the few that is still bouncing along as if nothing too commercial is entrenching its creative vein. So kudos to them for the focus.
