Carrousel Dreams: Enter the Fantasy

Monday, August 5

10 a.m. Finding backstage at OpéraSPORT is like a maze, we get lost in a greenhouse of open-air glass corridors, eventually spotting our first look — a high necked silken striped top paired with a black thong and classic Shirley shoulder bag. Mathilde wants the bag.

We follow a concrete spiral staircase that leads us to a basement, and what we thought was a wall suddenly flies open to reveal a very functioning car park-turned-very functioning backstage. "Attituuuuude" a photographer is shouting as tall beautiful Scandi girls are shepherded between hair and make-up, past a row of parked cars to rails of pinstripe red and white polos, white silk and lace hemmed skirts, black quilted vegan leather jackets with embroidered flower motifs. Prada heels are scattered everywhere. We spot a Danish barbie glamazon gliding in a black logo swimsuit with baby blue ribbing.

11 a.m. At Forza Collective we are met with an eclectic lineup of suiting, 1960s dress coats in bright greens and pink, mesh shorts paired with mirrored silver breast plates and deconstructed bra cups. The show and collection itself evoked a sexy space-age Scandinavian Jackie Kennedy meets mermaid in the form of shell bra-cups and mesh. Our favorite look was a puffy pink gown with sunglasses and slicked back hair — obsessed.

Leaving the show, fashion week is in full swing. The branded CPHFW bus rocks up beckoning us in, but no. We are doing this the Danish way: by bike.

In a crazy turn of events, we walk past the hot pool girl whom Liv, Mathilde and I obsessed over at Primavera Festival — of course she’s Danish! She struts past in all her hotness with her sunglasses and Ganni bags as we manically push our lime bikes down the pedestrianized tourist strip.

4 p.m. Next stop is Alectra Rothschild’s MASCULINA, where we arrive at a desolate industrial area with three-floor scaffolding in the center. Walking into The Hangar club, we find the fashion week vibe we’ve been waiting for. The energy is buzzing, it’s crazy busy as models are being dressed in latex bodysuits, corsets, a combination of lace and fishnet stockings, white fringe. This isn’t just casting, it’s friends getting ready together for a night out. It’s fierce. Leather belts are worn as skirts and as chokers, while deconstructed leather suits and heels are wrapped in an abundance of tape, fishnet and sparkles. I look outside and spot a model smoking, her hot red curly hair and face completely caked in red glitter. You just know everyone’s having the best time. They look hot and they know it. The collection notes speak of the intimacy of platonic love, getting ready together with friends, and it’s clear backstage that this intimacy has been captured beyond the clothing itself into the atmosphere.

A model questions why another’s blazer isn’t done up: “This is Masculina, obviously!” Obviously!

I spot another model sitting in a corner ferociously tying up their red leather boots, and another shaving their bum next to a stylist aggressively lacing up a corset and shouting “yes biiiitch!” — high fiving when the job is done. Cigarettes are smoked, hair brushed, and glitter face stars topped up when a stylist runs past me shouting “Who’s got lube?!”. They return shortly waving lube in the air. Success. The lube is for faux tears, applied during the lineup where models wait on benches, posing by the club lockers.

We emerge from backstage to take our place for the show. The biggest crowds have amassed,  dressed in head-to-toe black and huge sunglasses. The amazing PR Sophie has to battle the crowds to escort us to our spot, just in the nick of time as Alectra enters the runway with DJ G2G, who is in a leather one-piece bodysuit with cutouts and a leather train trailing behind them. The audience is going wild. G2G finds their place behind the decks and the show begins. Look 1 arrives with the model on the back of a motorbike, legs in the air, voluminous fringed jacket bouncing as they hop off, strutting about and absolutely owning it in denim panties and sheer stockings. They move to the scaffolding, making their way up the stairs, dancing. The next model arrives and it's the big red boots, stars in their eyes (literally painted on) as they start sliding down the poles. But before we can take this in, the revving of another motorbike is heard in the distance, parking up by the decks. A model in a helmet, white thong and baby tee tied at the front gets off, the other in the black belted skirt following. They start climbing the poles, hanging upside down. This is the hottest show in Copenhagen! Alectra is chain-smoking in the front row. The scaffolding is filled and the party is in full swing when G2G blasts their Charli XCX remix “My humps just wanna Vroom Vroom” and struts away, followed by the rest of the cast. 

Read our interview with Alectra Rothschild here.

We end our day at La Banchina, a steep transition from steamy scaffolding to lakeside bar for a much-needed glass of wine, a croissant and fill of hot Danish men. 

Tuesday, August 6

9 a.m. It’s an early start today for the AERON mimosa breakfast at Lille Petra Cafe. There’s tables of mimosas and luxurious breakfast spreads of stuffed figs, mango and cornbread.  If there is a secret society of fashion Scandi goddesses, this is it. And we’ve somehow been granted access. 

Mathilde compliments a girl’s long white dress. She looks heavenly — it's AERON of course. She tells us about how she told her boyfriend she wants this to be her wedding dress. We want that too. Mathilde turns to me, “I think it may be time for a mimosa.” A girl behind us chimes in, “It’s never too early for a mimosa” — we’ve found our people. Now we want to know more. Mimosas in hand, we chat with Clara of SVPR, who gives us all the Copenhagen recommendations. Architect Danielle Siggerud joins us, dressed in an AERON look that is just made for her. She chats with us about Scandinavian design culture and then shares the best areas for drinking in the city (Meatpacking District, Nørrebro, and Vesterbro). These women really can do both. 

11 a.m. Next stop is Joao Maraschin’s “Road Trip” at Copenhagen Skatepark. Jacob from Buzzcut Zeazon tells us how he’s both skated and raved in the venue — now it’s a fashion takeover. We sit amongst the best-dressed audience yet, but — craziest of all — we find ourselves opposite the spitting image of a Danish Bradley Cooper. The collection juxtaposed soft and feathery mohair textures with a gritty almost shredded and frayed effect. Like a desert road trip accessorized with chunky silver jewelry. Paint-splatter effect red tights with a rope-like orange scarf, a blue metallic knitted vest paired with an orange frayed skirt. Highlights were the blue denim suit and frayed mohair knit pieces as low-waisted skirts, long sleeved cropped tops, and sleeveless dresses.

12 p.m. We’re the first ones out; it’s absolutely scorching now and we make a speedy cycle over to Eighteen Gallery for Berner Kühl. The pieces are very sleek and sexy, with monochrome looks consisting of tailored suiting, leather and slicked hair. Danish Bradley Cooper sits opposite me once again.

4 p.m. Nicklas Skovgaard was a disco that took us all the way into the 1980s and we were not prepared. Easy to say this is the best show yet. We arrive at Bricks Gallery and models are leaning at the doorway, sipping beer, smoking cigarettes, all dolled up in 80s beauty looks of pink eyeshadow and frizzy updos — as if Skovgaard took the women out of a 1980s workout video and placed them in the center of Copenhagen. Models strut about in floral track jackets cinched at the waist with poofy skirts, one in a gray thong bodysuit lifting tiny hot pink weights at the window.

There are TVs set up, one playing Jane Fonda-esque workout clips, the other sharing a live feed from the main room, where the models prance about, getting dressed and dancing to Madonna’s ‘Physical Attraction’. Skovgaard combines workout references with 1980s glamor in the form of classic double-breasted padded skirt suits. ‘Ooo, who’s double denim!’ A hot blonde approaches Mathilde for a GoPro selfie, while another asks me to zip up the most gorgeous pleather mini dress, billowy skirt cinched with a bow at the waist. Everybody has shown up and dressed up for what clearly is the place to be this afternoon. Herds of pastel tulle and polka dot clad fashion girlies keep hopping out of their CPHFW cars as Blondie blasts into the cobbled street filled with guests drinking, dancing and chatting with the models.

6 p.m. It’s extremely difficult to peel ourselves away from the gallery, but rooftop drinks await at Grand Joanne for Lovechild 1979. Upon arrival, we receive two vodka cocktails, secluded in a haven with views across the city — a brief interlude from the chaos of the week. It’s only a short visit though, and as we head downstairs, a Danish man gets attacked by the lift doors. We pile in, get introduced to an Irishman, and plot to form a power group to take over Copenhagen.

7 p.m. We speed back across the city to catch (di)vision, one of the most anticipated shows of the week. The backstage energy is busy. Immediately, I spot a lot of camo looks, denim, and bomber jackets. Mathilde grabs me, "Oh my god, it’s pool girl." And there she was in all her hotness, her hot boyfriend only a few meters away. Pairs of Dickies pants have been sewn together to make a denim jacket train. One model is wearing an English soccer top with white lace layered underneath. Another girl is wearing a dress constructed solely from The Ordinary skincare packaging, a witty nod to the show’s sponsor. Everybody is matching the brand’s energy backstage, to the point where we literally cannot differentiate who is a model and who is part of the team. 

We are almost stampeded by a flurry of very cool, very tall models and take that as our sign to dip back under the curtain. This crowd means business, and so do we. Smoky eyes and mini dresses on, we pick up some Kronenberg blancs — the go-to drink of fashion week. A hot Danish guy on the second row asks Mathilde to close his shirt for him. Cheeky! But hey, it’s Copenhagen — everyone’s hot, so why the hell not! A Danish fashion giant appears in front of us, flees to the back of the venue in their heeled Givenchy black leather boots, and then returns with a Kronenberg for a girl in the front row. By now, Mathilde is getting fully hit on — the man is obsessed. (di)vision has amassed the craziest crowd yet. Opposite me, I spot a guy wearing Uggs, shorts and a tank top. His black hair is slicked into a bob, huge Versace glasses over the eyes (and over the bob!?), and not to mention the unmissably pointed goatee. Two blonde twins are here, dressed the exact same in red tights and hoops. G2G struts past us, and I spot a TikTok boy my friend slept with sitting opposite. I look to my left and notice Mathilde and I have been quoted in somebody's show notes. God knows what we said…

9:00 a.m. We rock up to the Tekla breakfast this morning in next to nothing mini dresses, entering a crowd wearing pajama sets. Maybe we’ve made our day-to-night look a bit heavy on the ‘night’ side today… We are greeted by the lovely Keeley from DH-PR, and she tells us about Tekla’s new sateen collection. We go look at some of the sets, which are super cute in blue, navy, white and pink — God, I wish I was wearing this and not my sheer lace ruffled party dress right now. We get coffee and cardamom buns — possibly the tastiest things we’ve ever eaten. All I can say is there’s nowhere else we’d rather be this morning, and yes, we did take the last of the buns (sorry Keeley!).

11 a.m. We arrive backstage at Deadwood, and once again it takes us a moment to figure out the models from the crew. Khaki, black bombers, and leather make up most of the collection, and so far it’s really good. It’s a Wild West road trip with high-knee socks and cut-off shorts. A model walks with a guitar case over his shoulder. There are leather pants with buckles at the bottom, chunky silver jewelry in the form of hair clips and earrings attached to the nose. We see a duffle coat and the ¾ length stretchy shorts. The color palette is muted with grays and earthy tones. There’s a matching biker suit of black leather with single white stripes running down each side. The twins are back again, and this time directly in front of us, eating apples and taking selfies that we can’t seem to avoid being in the background of.

5:00 p.m. We catch the rehearsal for Sinéad O'Dwyer. First thoughts: great casting, and indeed it is, as we see a friendly face — Alectra Rothschild waves as she passes us by in the lineup. First looks we notice: bubble sole platforms with some open completely at the top. There’s ribbed bodysuits in tones of beige and neon green. A blue thong ribbed swimsuit with short sleeves seems to follow the blue swimwear trend featured in collections so far. We find Alectra again — “Looking good!” She winks back at us. One of my favorite pieces were these ribbed sacks that you can carry your clutch bag in — very smart.

6:30 p.m. After nearly flattening all the post-show influencers on my lime bike, and Mathilde almost getting knocked out by the Vogue Scandinavia car, we make our way to the Bonnetje presentation. We see Clara and have a quick beer while viewing the new collection, consisting mostly of deconstructed tailored looks.

11 p.m. onight we pull up to the hottest fashion week party, hosted by Mads Nørgaard at Ravelinen. Everybody is here, including our Danish giant from (di)vision and the hot blonde model from Nicklas Skovgaard’s show (whose name we finally learn — Siggy Sonne!). It’s absolutely mental here — signing off!

Thursday (8/8)

5 p.m. Everyone’s running late and running up the road. Four fashion boys cycle in the opposite direction — “Turn around! You can’t park there.” Potentially the most devastating thing we’ve heard all week. Losing those lime bike minutes and acknowledging the rainy trek ahead of us, we roll a cigarette and join the line. As soon as we arrive, it starts pouring down; everyone’s diving for cover as the PR team is manically trying to get everybody back into place… “Stop! the show begins in 3 minutes!”

If there was a CPHFW show that could survive the storm, it’s Han Kjøbenhavn — the collection complemented by the grunge, industrial setting and gray overcast sky. The collection consists of dark wash gray denim and boots that widely gather at the bottom, skin-tight up the leg and hooped at the thigh. Han Kjøbenhavn masterfully plays with proportions. There are voluminous bomber jackets that are cropped and cinched at the waist with a thick padded curved collar. There are gowns cut low to the naval with hooped necklines, mimicking the shape of the boots, softly balancing the sharp cuts of the blazers and super tight pants.

6 p.m. At ROTATE, the entrance is a stampede of pink bows, yellow tulle and sequin dresses. For the first time this week, I’ve managed to match my outfit to the Scandi girls in my silver sequin mini dress — living the dream! Mini bottles of Moët are being served by beautiful Danish men in ROTATE branded aprons. Everyone’s fighting to be in the front row. A blonde in a gold sparkly beret has stolen my seat, but I decide the battle isn’t worth it — I fear I may get suffocated under her oversized Ganni sleeves.

“It’s like if Ganni and Saks Potts had a baby”. The looks included nods to the 80s in the form of high waisted ¾ length leggings paired with padded blazers, lots of black fringe and denim sets covered in buttons. The show ends, “Shall we get another bottle of Moët  for the road?” Influencer mania is unleashed — an explosion of floral capes and sequins, all trying to get that photo for the gram, fueled by Moët & Chandon. Overheard quotes include “That gave me chills” and “I looove a good finalé!” We spot the Vogue Scandinavia guy looking lost in the herd of drunk influencers, microphone in hand, not knowing where to start.

Friday (8/9)

10:30 a.m. Coffee and croissant in hand, we wade through the CPHFW New Talent showroom that includes Bonnetje, Berner Kühl and — our fave — Alectra Rothschild’s Masculina. We bump into Alectra en route for her ciggy break, speak about how fun this week has been but oh so very exhausting. Glad we’re not alone on this. Checking out the Masculina pop-up, we overhear Alectra discussing the upscaling elements to her collection — most notably the stockings of course! We chat about the Look 1 jacket and how hot it looked on the runway. Alectra notes how the model was “all legs and hair”, Mathilde replying “a bird in the sexiest way”... “Yesss a sexy bird!” 

12:00 p.m. Mathilde catches up with Mads Nørgaard and takes a tour of the store and company office. They discuss the brand's iconic stripey top and the community built over the years, celebrated in their recently published ‘This is Me’ campaign. Now, if there’s one way to end our fashion week journey, it’s over a coffee with Danish Fashion Royalty, Mads Nørgaard.