CPHFW: The biggest trends from fashion week
Corporate Core
Copenhagen Fashion Week heralds a revitalisation of classic, timeless elements with a modern twist. The 'secretary style' - better known as the 'Corporate Core' - is a new take on business style, once characterised by oversized suits, loose shirts and sneakers, but now replaced with midi pencil skirts, tailored shirts and pointed kitten heels.
Surprisingly, narrow rectangular glasses have also made a comeback, hinting at Gisele Bündchen's outfit from 'The Devil Wears Prada' film. This corporate core aesthetic of simple and basic styles has caught the digital zeitgeist and resonates on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where the fusion of retro and modernity is inspiring a new generation of fashion enthusiasts.
Alternative layering
Copenhagen Fashion Week has started a new chapter of layered outfits - unconventional but undoubtedly chic. We see more brands styling skirts over trousers as a bold statement that defies norms and adds depth to the silhouette. Tank tops are styled over shirts, giving a whole new take on fit and silhouettes.
This season, designers flirt with textures and materials by combining the sheer with the fitted, the soft with the structured. Mesh over solid fabrics creates an interplay that is as much about visual appeal as it is about innovation in design. This trend is as simple as it is avant-garde, inspiring us to creatively rethink and redefine the elements we have in our wardrobe in a new playful way.
Big Coats
As fashion week in chilly Copenhagen wraps up with the latest collections for the autumn and winter seasons, it is of course the oversized coats that take centre stage. The oversized trench in heavy wool transcends functionality and is often seen as a statement piece that makes an entire outfit, both on the catwalk and on the streets.
Faux fur jackets, both the classic fauc fur mink jackets and the colourful voluminous styles, are making their entrance, with a subtle hint of the viral "mob wife" look from Tiktok. Exaggerated collars, cuffs and shoulders shape the coats into almost monumental elements. The heavy focus on coats is not surprising given the season of the collections, but this time they are more than just functional outerwear, but instead act as part of the overall look.
Animal Print
During fashion week, amidst the flurry of trends, the animal print has once again proved that it is an absolute timeless classic. It's a pattern that has survived the ups and downs of the fashion world to once again declare itself the biggest trend in print. This season, leopard print is making its mark. It's no surprise that brands like GANNI have included animal print in their AW24 collection, with a design archive full of iconic leo designs. The animal print is a safe wardrobe investment, and although the leo-filled AW24 collections won't arrive until summer, most people are sure to have a lot of animal prints in their wardrobe from the mid-2010s.
The animal print, despite its wild expression, works as a base with a colour palette that can be matched with almost any colour, and especially with the hyper-modern mailbox red, the beautiful print really comes into its own. That's why designers aren't afraid to use animal print in all aspects of their collections, from oversized jackets, mini dresses or ballerina shoes.
