Denmark and Copenhagen are famous for design and style. Not only does the world love Danish interior design and architecture (Arne Jacobsen, anyone?), but Copenhagen is also know for its fashion. So why not take a look at it?
When I first got here, I was surprised by two things: a) men seemed to be much more style-conscious than what I was used to back home in Germany, and b) girls and women seemed much less stylish than I had expected. It took me some time to figure out that especially women’s fashion and style follows a very specific rule: Danes put a lot of effort (and money) into looking like they don’t care what they look like. What I mistook for laziness or a “don’t care” attitude is actually a carefully thought out style doctrine that especially girls seem to follow.
Like in many other age- and location-specific groups (e.g. American female college students, hipsters, etc.), Copenhagen girls and young women have their “uniform”, as I like to call it. On the train in the morning or afternoon, it’s crazy how many people wear a similar style. I’ve conveniently provided a “starter kit” below, in case you are coming to visit soon and want to look like a local:
Popular brands include (just browse through their lookbooks):
If you want to learn more about Copenhagen street style, check out the following sites:
- Trine’s Wardrobe - style blog by a real Copenhagener
- Copenhagenish - a blog about Scandinavian fashion and style
- Blame the Business - a blog about modern Danish business style
- Copenhagen street style on StreetPeeper
- Copenhagen street style spring 2014 on Harpers Bazaar
And finally, the Danes’ biggest style faux-pas in my eyes: Fjällräven backpacks.
They are EVERYWHERE. In every color. On everyone’s back. Apparently they used to be cool way back in the day, and now they’re making their hipster comeback. I might not be much of a fashion person but please trust me in this: DO NOT BUY A FJÄLLRÄVEN. And if you have one, THROW IT AWAY. Far, far away, where I can’t see it! And then let’s never speak of this again!
As a final word, I do think that Copenhagen’s (or Scandinavia’s) reputation as a fashion capital is well deserved - some of the brands listed above (and others, such as Filippa K) make great clothes that I absolutely love (I have this Tiger of Sweden dress in four colors!). And people here generally seem to put more effort into what they look like (compared to what I’m used to from Germany), even though I might not always “get” the style they’re going for.
