Fashion journalist and stylist to the stars Corina Gaffey breaks down what she wore to report from the runways of Copenhagen Fashion Week, from outfits gifted by designers to raincoat layering her looks.
To the outside world, fashion week looks glamorous. And I can see why people think so; it seems so effortless when you’re bombarded with a constant stream of stylish peeps in street-style pics and attending parties. Not to get all boo-hoo on you, but I swear there’s very much a hard work element to it. Hear me out – you’re battling with inclement weather, standing in the rain as you queue for shows, trying to get to and from shows in a city you’ve never been to, and then filing articles when you’re on the go. That’s even before the anguish of deciding what to wear, being comfortable, and remaining polished and presentable.
Comfort is a huge factor in my decision-making, especially shoes. I love how pragmatic the Danish are regarding dressing, mainly favouring trainers and flats to cycle around the city. Packing for Copenhagen Fashion Week, I knew I could skip the sky-high heels and go for flats and trainers. And I was glad to forgo the heels; looking at my health data on my iPhone after a week of racing in between shows, I racked up over 20,000 steps each day. Fashion week or fashion Olympics?
Copenhagen Fashion Week’s spring edition, held in August, is renowned for hazy, summery days and balmy weather. But not this year, thanks to the storm, which delivered a deluge of rain and made packing and deciding what to wear a more significant challenge. Rain-proofing my outfits and trying not to be overweight with luggage is not what I had on my bingo card for my first trip to CPHFW.
MONDAY
But I didn’t let the gloomy forecast challenge me too much, and I still experimented with colour, prints and silhouettes. For the first evening, I attended a dinner with Dyson; being brave and wanting to explore the city, I decided to walk. Hence, the raincoat layering and flat shoes. Underneath, I opted for a pink leather shirt by Stand Studio via The Outnet and an old reliable yellow tiger print skirt by Rixo.
TUESDAY
By Tuesday, I was leaning into the weather and accepting the awaited rainy fate. Going all black with a t-shirt from Arket, the same flat shoes that proved successful in the rain, and a skirt by Awake Mode by & Other Stories. I topped off my look with a patent blue jacket by Holweizer from Zalando. Vinyl coats are a great alternative to essential raincoats, bringing a hefty dose of practicality and wipe clean – ideal. Tuesday evening brought dinner plans with Zalando in the iconic setting of the Tivoli Gardens. Opting to be sensible again, I re-wore my patent jacket in case of showers and went for a floral shirt-dress layered over a skirt by Finnish designer Marimekko that I got via Zalando.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, the rain continued, and, somewhat silly of me, I decided to wear all beige with a suit jacket and trousers by Wardrobe NYC at Brown Thomas. This led me to constantly check the back of my trousers to see if I splashed raindrops and dirt on the ends, and surprisingly, I managed to keep them clean the whole day. What are the chances? My vinyl snakeskin coat must have helped in the rain protection, another practical but stylish topper. I broke out the sequins on Wednesday evening for fashion week parties, the dress code for style soirees is anything goes, and you’ll see people wearing t-shirts, jeans and trainers or decked out and dressed to the nines. I combined both and finished my sequin top and trousers by Stine Goya at Arnotts with pink Adidas Gazelles, which meant my feet didn’t tire on the dancefloor.
THURSDAY
Thursday came the arrival of the Munthe show in the gorgeous grounds of their head office and slivers of sunshine. Mixing prints, I chose a shirt by British designer Rejina Pyo from The Outnet and a leather skirt by Danish brand Gestuz. Deciding to walk the twenty-minute journey to the show, trainers became my shoe of choice.
A quick change to move hotels and visit showroom appointments, and because of the lack of rain, I could break out floor-skimming trousers in fire-engine red. The elevated cargo trousers are from Stine Goya at Arnotts, with cropped hoodie and bag by Ganni, also from Arnotts. I finished the head-to-toe scarlet look with more red and an old pair of Miu Miu shoes from my wardrobe. Three changes in one day – who am I? But excitedly, I was dressed by Ganni to go to their show, so I can forgive myself for the three-changes-in-one day. I picked a tiger print dress, one of their signatures, and monochrome cowboy boots. The sun shone, so I finished the look with blue sunglasses from the Mango x Simon Miller collaboration.
FRIDAY
I’m feeling fragile on Friday, thanks to a brilliant Ganni after-party involving karaoke and cocktails, but I have the Munthe press breakfast to attend. Primark’s The Edit leather-like two-piece comes to the rescue, it’s not out for a few months, so I was lucky enough to nab the sample to wear. It’s buttery soft, and I love the pared-back shade; I styled it out with trainers to keep it comfortable.
Photography by @corinagaffey.
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