Romney Leader reports from Copenhagen fashion week

MoonSpoonSaloon, a new addition to the calendar, was much-hyped in the lead-up to its show. A collaboration between artist Tal R and former costume designer Sarah Sachs, it aims to create 99 looks for its inaugural season, with each look available in a limited-edition batch of 99. Its debut at the Royal Danish Theater was very much art for art’s sake. Ballerinas performed interpretive dance in the clothes, which were court jesterlike in their use of primary colors and voluminous fits. On the other end of the spectrum was denim line Won Hundred, where everything behind the season’s collection was recorded in meticulous detail. Liner notes listed 50 ideas designer Nikolaj Nielsen liked and 50 ideas he disliked when conceiving the current line. A second page offered a rundown of the David Lynch-esque video that ran during the show, even listing key symbols for guests to look out for. The actual clothes, in contrast, were refreshingly bare-bones, and standout pieces for women included a boxy twill jacket and baggy drawstring jeans.

Malene Birger’s show is a do-not-miss on the fashion week calendar. The Danish designer is an icon in Copenhagen, and the dramatic By Malene Birger collection was enjoyable for both longtime fans and the newly converted. A tough-but-sweet vibe ran strong; black leather knee-high spats were paired with bright floral separates and billowy chiffon skirts. While some looks—though beautiful—borrowed a little too heavily from Marni, Birger really hit her stride with more classically Danish pieces like her sheer smock dresses and tunics. All of the pants, ranging from classic uptown trousers to a sophisticated take on the drop-crotch peg-leg style, were impeccably tailored, and the jewelry and handbags (Birger is of the "bigger is better" school of thought) were covetable.

The big star on hand at Malene Birger was Lene Nostrom, who you may remember from her pop band Aqua’s hit single "Barbie Girl." I told her she looked great. "Thanks! The sweater is Alexander McQueen, the leggings are Kova & T, the bag is Chanel, and the shoes are Nicholas Kirkwood," she said. Fans take note: Aqua is gearing up for a reunion tour this fall.

I took some time on Saturday to walk through Gallery, one of two big trade fairs going on simultaneously with the shows. One of the standout displays was Monies, a revered Danish jewelry line from husband/wife team Gerda and Nicolai Monies. Buffalo horns, amber, and rare gems are some of the natural materials found in their dramatic pieces (rings as big as your hand, necklaces that drape to the knee). They’ve collaborated with Donna Karan and Christian Lacroix, among others, and have freestanding shops in Paris and Geneva. It’s hard to believe they were showing me the more conservative pieces ("We save the really special pieces for Paris," whispered the saleswoman), but I swooned over this tangle of shiny ivory beads.

Across the way I saw Peter Jensen manning his own booth, so I went over to say hi. Though it was his men’s Spring ‘09 collection on display, he was kind enough to give me a sneak preview of the women’s line, debuting in September at London fashion week. The inspiration? Jodie Foster. "We looked mostly at ‘Hotel New Hampshire’," he said, "Jodie had a strong, masculine look there that I loved, but we also took elements from ‘Freaky Friday’ and ‘Silence of the Lambs’." I snapped this sweatshirt (note the "Jodie" and "JF" screenprints) because it encapsulates Jensen’s hilarious regard for American culture.

Copenhagen fashion week ended on a spirited note with Henrik Vibskov’s show. No one seemed to mind the almost two-hour delay, perhaps because it wasn’t the designer’s fault, but instead because he opened the show to the public, asking only that ticketless attendees play a trumpet song to gain admittance (if you didn’t have a trumpet you could pay 70 kroners). Once the melee at the door had settled and the lights dimmed, the show highlight was Vibskov—himself an avid percussionist—front and center with his drums, playing live to the show soundtrack. Though he’s mostly known as a clothing designer in the U.S., throughout Europe Vibskov is regarded as a multi-disciplinary performance artist. The strongest looks in the show featured his signature print work, shown on a baggy women’s pant and a colorful men’s wool sweater. The after-party began on location immediately following the show, but yours truly headed back to the hotel to begrudgingly prepare for the trip back to New York.

Photos: MoonSpoon, Vibskov: Courtesy of Copenhagen fashion week; Nostrom, Monies, Jensen: Romney Leader

And we’re off! Couture has officially begun, inaugurated by John Galliano. His show for Christian Dior has the burden of being the first on the schedule and therefore setting the pace for the rest of the three-day fashion fest. And this season, his audience did not disappoint: Janet Jackson and her husband, Jermaine Dupri; Claudia Schiffer; Eva Mendes; and Olivier Martinez all filed into the darkened tent at the Musée Rodin for the spectacle. All of which bodes well for the rest of the week—remember a few seasons back when all Dior could muster was Lucy Liu, bless her? Will the rest of the week be as glamorous? Only time will tell (watch this space!), because the Dior front row’s lips were uniformly sealed. Sighed Martinez as the cameras clicked, “I know it’s a busy week, and there’s a stack of invitations at my house. But we’ll see if I make it out again.”—Derek Blasberg

Photo: Tony Barson/WireImage

It seems that every frat boy’s fantasy has come true. Word on the cobblestoned rue of Paris this week was about a certain recently formed supermodel couple. Backstage chatter revolved around one French Vogue-favorite stunner’s conversion to the “L Word” team with another tattooed catwalker. We’re of course not ones to gossip, so we won’t say who, but happy guessing!

Scandinavian fashion is generally described as being well-designed at a good price, but it’s aiming to be NICE, thanks to a collaborative initiative by the Nordic Fashion Association (comprised of the Swedish Fashion Council, the Icelandic Fashion Council, Oslo Fashion Week, Helsinki Design Week, and the Danish Fashion Institute), which will be formally inaugurated tomorrow. The NFA are behind the Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical (NICE), which aims to promote sustainability and responsibility in fashion production. Their first plan of action is to formulate a Base Code of Conduct to be launched and signed at the United Nations Global Climate Summit in Copenhagen next year. Isn’t that, well, nice?—Laird Borrelli-Persson

Photo: Noir, Fall 2008. Sacha Maric/Courtesy of Copenhagenfashionweek.com

Attention, fashion fans: You have another reason to set your TiVo. Loulou de la Falaise Klossowski, the legendary style icon and muse to Yves Saint Laurent, will be making her second appearance—you probably missed the one at 7 a.m. this morning; we did—on the Home Shopping Network at 7 p.m. EST to hawk her eponymous line of jewelry, accessories, and apparel pieces (think chic kaftans and kimonos). And in case you didn’t realize it, this isn’t just Paris fashion week. It’s also the HSN’s first-ever Spring fashion week. HSN can be found on channel 39 on Time Warner Cable.—Derek
Blasberg

Name: Jessica Trent

The look: Arden Wohl West

Wearing: Ksubi silk T-shirt dress, satin ribbon from a wrapped present, tights from Le Bon Marché in Paris, Givenchy shoes

Occupation: L.A. office director for People’s Revolution

Favorite brands: Jeremy Scott, Julia Clancey, vintage Chanel

Spotted: In Chinatown, picking up last-minute treats for interns en route to Smashbox Studios

Highlight of the week so far: “Definitely talking with André Leon Talley. Especially because he’s a Southern boy and I’m a Southern girl.”

The lowdown: “Believe it or not, I’m really excited about Nicky Hilton’s show later this evening. I’ve seen the collection and there are plenty of things I’d wear.”—Linlee Allen

Photo: Linlee Allen

Laird Borrelli-Persson reports from Japan fashion week.

Saturday, March 15

10 a.m.

I have breakfast at the Cerulean Tower hotel with Gene Krell and his wife, Naoko Inagaki. He’s the international fashion director at Vogue Nippon and helped launch Vogue in South Korea, and she’s a display artist (check out Krell in action on our brother site, men.style.com). As we leave, I spot someone who looks suspiciously like Cory Kennedy, who’s on the cover of Russh Japan this month.

11:30 a.m.

Off to Tokyu Hands, billed as the “Creative Life Store.” It has seven glorious floors filled with…everything. We start at the top, where the model parts for train sets are stocked, and continue down through stationery, cleaning products, electronics, luggage. You name it, they’ve got it.

2:30 p.m.

On my way to the Tokyo Girls Collection, I pass Snoopy World, a huge store dedicated to everything Peanuts. Separate from Japan fashion week, TGC is a huge event held in Yoyogi National Stadium. It features wares from 20 fast-fashion brands modeled by mannequins, actresses, and TV personalities, each of whom is greeted with shrieks each time she appears. TGC attracts about 100,000 visitors, most of them teenage girls with exceptionally healthy lungs.

4 p.m.

On the advice of stylist Kate Young, I head over to Omotesando Hills to check out Noise et Silence, a store which stocks beautiful basics. I can see why she says that I’ll want “to wear these clothes nonstop.”

6 p.m.

Head over to the new Satine store that’s set to open on March 19. It’s airy and bright, with a jukebox that plays old French songs, a TV set that’s playing “Pretty in Pink,” and labels such as Rachel Comey, Katy Rodriguez, Opening Ceremony, and Satine’s house label, as well as a few Japanese brands.

7 p.m.

Visit La Forêt, a new mall that stocks many of the designers who showed at Japan fashion week. The shops range from goth and lolli boutiques in the basement to Nudie, Helmut Lang, and See by Chloé outlets on the upper levels. Also worth checking out are two multi-label stores, Side by Side and Wall.

8 p.m.

Dinner at Yaki Yaki Miwa Nishi-Azabu Ten with Shiseido’s Hiroko Ozeki and Tiffany Godoy, the author of “Style Deficit Disorder: Harajuku Street Fashion Tokyo,” who is fresh off a shoot for her new TV show.

Sunday, March 16

12 p.m.

I start my exploration of Daikayama at nakEd bunch before proceeding to Gallery Lele, a mecca for Blythe doll fanatics. Work in Progress’ Patrick Li had recommended a visit to Okua, “one of my favorites in the whole world—it emulates an old-style shop with lots of indigo dyed clothing.” As an added bonus, there are also turtles in the Japanese garden on the second floor.

2 p.m.

In a few weeks the cherry trees along the canal in Nakameguro will be in bloom, but it’s beautiful even without them. If I were to live in Tokyo, this is the neighborhood I’d choose.

5 p.m.

I spend the last of my yen at Touch in the lobby of the Cerulean. It’s one of the best design shops I’ve seen all week, selling everything from Santa Maria Novella wares to super-luxe menswear by Mister Hollywood (which, despite the name, is anything but flash). I also love the Postalco stationery and the Swedish ceramics and glassware. I could take it all home with me, but my suitcase is now officially full.

See by Chloe showed its first bag collection to editors last week. Compared to big sister Chloé, it’s very young and colorful. But then, the prices are a bit sweeter, too, ranging from $395 to $795. The bags will be hitting stores (Scoop, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s Soho) June 1.class=\”byline\”>—Marina Larroude

The model weight debate continues. After Australian fashion week organizers upped the minimum age for models from 14 to 16 last week, French lawmakers are now pushing an anti-”thinspiration” bill aimed at image-obsessed Web sites. We would tell perilously skinny models to take their vitamins (along with actual food, of course), but a new study shows that antioxidants might need an antidote. There’s always plastic surgery, though. And thanks to a new children’s book on the topic, it’s positively family-friendly. Yesterday we reported on a wedding proposal via video game, and today, in true-love fashion, we learned about divorce via YouTube. Sweet. The relationship between fashion and architecture is not due for a rupture any time soon, as proven by sharply dressed (building) designers, but can anyone outstyle power-dresser Margaret Thatcher? Santo Versace, Donatella’s brother, newly elected to the Italian parliament, may be able to give the Iron Lady a run for her money.— Alison Baenen

As anyone who’s been to Copenhagen fashion week knows, getting into a Mads Nørgaard show is almost as difficult as gaining entrée to Marc Jacobs. And the Danish designer’s cool mix of basics with a street influence attracts a similarly interesting and devoted crowd. Last week, Nørgaard won a Dansk Fashion Award for his recent ad campaign—a trilogy of short moody, urban films for which he snagged as stars Denmark’s leading models Freja Beha Erichsen and Eddie Klint, titled “The Copenhagen Experience.” “I think the films are great,” said Erichsen, who won a Dansk award for top female model (Klint was nominated on the men’s side). “It’s an interesting way to do a campaign, instead of stills.” (Nørgaard was also recently tapped to design a theme for new artists’ project iGoogle, an honor shared by Dolce & Gabbana and Philippe Starck.) Here, a peek at the model duo off of the runway. See the entire video at www.thecopenhagenexperience.dk.

—Laird Borrelli-Persson