30.4.07

københavn

I arrived late in the afternoon, and the skies changed quickly from cool blue to a deep pitch. With the exception of neon lit sex shops around my hotel, everything seemed to be closed, so I explored Indre By (the city centre) for a few hours, windowshopping and wondering at centuries old Scandinavian architecture.


Night lights.

No sooner did I get to my room than fireworks began to explode...

On Sunday all the shops were closed (this drives me crazy in Europe), so I went to idle in Nyhavn. I loved sitting on the edge of the harbour and people watching. It used to be quite a scandalous district where fishermen and prostitutes plied their trades, and it is easy to see how former resident H. C. Andersen was influenced to write The Little Mermaid here. Tall masted ships and tattoo parlours remain, hinting at Nyhavn's grittier past, but for the most part the area has been taken over by expensive cafes and boutique hotels.

Monday arrived, and the city came to life with colourful style, hundreds of bicycles, and rather a lot of blonde hair. Leggings and layered stockings were de rigeur, as this femme who took the train with me can show.

I can't overemphasize how popular brightly coloured leg coverings are. A pair of these + flats + tunic + neon pink nails + warm scarf = current quintessential CPH style


Even this homeless girl looked in tune with nu-rave in neon pink tights and a graphic skirt.

Second only to leggings in the Danish trend department (for both sexes) were keffiyehs. You could play 'count the keffiyeh' and lose track of numbers in just a few blocks.

A curious hat shop that The Sarto would probably enjoy visiting.

Flying A... Purveyor of vintage, obscure, and popular clothing labels. The range of apparel was so unexpected (and unfortunately overpriced) that I went back twice to get through all of it.


Wood Wood... Copenhagen's answer to Colette.


Apartment NO. 7... One of those sumptuous boutiques that you stumble upon when least expecting to, and have a near religious fashion experience. The interior was decorated with antique chairs, glass chandeliers, and a gorgeous make up vanity from the 1960s. The largest room featured embellished tops, silk dresses and tailored jackets, while the next one catered to the club crowd, with bright leggings, graphic tees, CDs, and oversize jumpers by Henrik Vibskov. I spent most of my time in the first room... I can't even talk about the window displays- it was all too perfect for words.

Jovovich-Hawk mood board for Mango. The J-H design aesthetic is attractive to me, but the materials for this new Mango line are disappointingly cheap.

Henrik Vibskov... Mecca for underfed but oh-so-wittily-clad young European men. CPH Street Style caught the designer himself outside his shop that day.

Filippa K storefront. Elegant, minimalist, black and white. I fell head over heels in love with a long bias cut dress with geometric details at the sleeves that haunts me still.

Fellow fans of Apartment NO. 7

Amazing, get-lost-for-hours type bookstore that made me wish I could speak Danish and better understand the meaning of these (and other) eye catching covers.

There were many beautifully considered flower displays. I liked this one because of the unusual orange.

Besides a great deal of bright graffiti on the sides of buildings and trains, I noticed little details- both sculptural and painted- all over Copenhagen. There were mermaid tails at the tops of doorways, sculptures hidden under water, and incomprehensible graphic images chalked on to cobblestones. I came across this bear and penguin in a little sidestreet.


Ever seen the movie Heathers? Well, this guy was very friendly, but also had a rebellious 'je ne sais quoi' that reminded me of JD. The coat, gloves, and shades helped too.


Hotel Fox. Boots down, the coolest place for rooms, drinks, and modern art in Copenhagen.

Along with Hotel Fox, the 17th century Rundetårn (round tower) is one of my favourite structures in the city. You can climb a couple hundred metres up the spiral ramp...


...to an observatory high above the medieval city centre.


hej hej for now. xx

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous, will definitely think of Copenhagen for future travels, can't wait to see more photos , especially of that future shopping trip;) once stores reopen.

Anonymous said...

that seems to me to be one very stylishly chic city...

can't wait to read & see the rest!

mareGa said...

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing with us your trip! Much love.

About Me said...

Next time I'm going with you.

xo,
A

RD said...

Excellent triple-thick extra-large edition! I should have saved it till Sunday, when I will have to figure out what to do without my NY Times. Cheers, BB

- said...

thx to you I think soon i´ll be visiting copanhagen... love the city, love your pics!

a wandering minstrel said...

hi there....came across your blog a few days back and have been going through it regularly. i seem like to your level-headed attitude towards fashion and style. these photos of Copehagen are interesting. I'm a perfume freak (visit my blog, if possible. I just started blogging ten days back). Any idea about the Danish sense of smell and fragrances? How elegant and noteworthy are their perfumes?

j said...

We watch la Femme. Like a lithe full lipped Ophelia she catwalks through the dim alleys lined with the ancient architecture of Elsinore. She seems excited, insecure, and apprehensive that around the next corner she might come face-to-face with the ghost of Hamlet (or his father) who she remembers as being very friendly, but also had a rebellious 'je ne
sais quoi'. Instead she finds a shop and peering in the window finds bright colored leggings that might have been de rigeur for Hamlet. Ophelia or Orlando…indeed.

j: Ha, Ha! Are you honest?
la Femme: My lord?
j: Are you fair?
la Femme: What means your lordship?
j: That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.
la Femme: Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty?
j: Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness.

Anonymous said...

Addley Child, I fondly related to the bear and penguin art! Your pics are beautiful and artfully taken! I have a question, what were the motorcycle boots like?

mahret said...

wow. thank you for posting those wonderful pictures. I totally want to go to copenhagen this year...

Clare said...

I'm surprised those are actually book covers! If it weren't for your explanation, I would have assumed it was something from an art gallery...

Claire said...

sigh, love copenhagen so...thanks for capturing it like this for us...x

Fiona said...

Well, I believe I might just have to plan a trip sometimes soon...

Fiona said...

Well I might just have to plan a trip soon...lovely photos!

Julia said...

How wonderful - really felt like an armchair traveller reading that - my travelling friend will be in Copenhagen while I pop over to Dublin in early July for a few days so I am definitely passing this on to her!

Bojana said...

Oooh... I'd love to visit Copenhagen!! Lucky you!!

Cordelia said...

Im in love with Copenhagen now!:-)

Unknown said...

The hat shop may be worth the trip alone. Great collection!
Haute Concept