The Case for Dressing Without a Point / Copenhagen Fashion Week went full tilt on wearing whatever the f*ck you want.
by Evan Skovronsky
8.12.2026
CPHFW SS27 street style coverage from British Vogue
For years, Copenhagen Fashion Week has occupied its own space on the fashion calendar: on the fringes of mainstream culture, yet worth paying attention to. Regarded as the prelude to the core four (New York, London, Milan, & Paris), the week has become its own distinct fashion language that's clogged our feeds for a while now: "scandi style" - maximalist, color & pattern heavy, calculated layering. The effortful look the opposite of fashion's Parisian and Milanese chic, the sensible shoe, the perfect/imperfect styling. What was once quirky and whimsical, like anything run through the rinse and repeat of the internet, eventually becomes formulaic and unoriginal.
This season had some upsets, but at face value, retained its usual Scandi flavor. Ganni returned home from their hiatus showing in Paris for the last few years, while Collina Strada showed as a part of an International Guest Program, showcasing her climate-favorable designs to an audience outside her usual New York set. CPHFW faves like Baum und Pferdgarten, SSON, and Nicklas Skovgaard continued to do what they do best - exaggerated proportions, pattern mixing, creative layering, made to feel "effortless" on a 5'11'' blonde makeup-less Danish model.
However, SS27 felt a little less algorithmic than usual. Throughout the week, designers seemed frankly uninterested in the formulaic foundations of CPHFW's past, and instead focused on pieces that resisted pinterest board Scandi. We saw references to childhood, sportswear, brazen sheerness, awkward (complimentary) proportions. It wasn't necessarily a critique of the Scandi style held dearly by the region, but more a rejection of the overly optimized trend that it's generated and seen recycled over time on the internet.
Paolina Russo offered up a refreshing retort. Russo, who's been showing at CPHFW since her debut in 2023, has held court as the freaky stepsister of the region. Her SS27 collection was staged around a skatepark, capturing a childlike self-styling free from pre-conceived "cool". Matching arm warmers to socks, chunky, candy-necklace jewelry paired with saturated tie-dye projected a fantasy not seen since Fancy Nancy.
Evocative of how I dressed once my mom stopped dressing me.
The nuance of the season was too captured by New York's favorite weirdo, Collina Strada, showing in Copenhagen on invitation from CPHFW's International Guest Program. Collina Strada's ideology has long embodied the ethos of this season: sustainability does not necessarily equal minimalist restraint.
This distinction feels important. Fashion has become exceptionally efficient at producing recognizable and replicable silhouettes. An image appears on a feed, and to the trained eye, it's immediately evident when the image is trend based reference bait. We've gone so far as to aestheticize individuality, flattening decades-old subcultures into baseless online trends. Social media wears a thin veil of individuality and authenticity, when in reality, the end goal is to entice people to buy into recycled ideas.
What we can learn from CPHFW SS27 is that if a region deemed the epitome of "effortless cool" can challenge the ideas it created itself, we can too can defeat the trend-slop ouroboros. My mom always said when you buy clothes, you should buy a whole outfit. And while she's offered me some great advice in other areas of expertise, I fear this advice is no longer of the times.
I believe the smarter way to shop is to stop subscribing to the idea of "personal style" altogether. Personal style isn't something you wake up with; it takes years of sourcing and research, failures and triumphs. Just last week, I found a necklace I got when I was 12 and began wearing it again.
This is not to say that we should abandon taste altogether… just leave room for accidents, for fun! Let your wardrobe accumulate organically, rather than overly methodically. Buy the weird shoes that only work with one pair of pants. Buy the necklace that looks ridiculous hanging next to everything else in your closet. Buy what you like, not what you think you need to like. Infuse your uniform with whimsy. Because the pop of turquoise against your otherwise all black might be just the ingredient you need to achieve your true personal style without overthinking it.
Maybe getting dressed doesn't need a point.
Maybe that is the point.
This week on the Parlor floor we are dreaming about fall despite the steamy August heat. We've got jackets and loafers on the brain… not quite on the body… yet. The plants however, are happier than ever! There's never been a better time to pick up a houseplant to embellish your space in lieu of a wearable to embellish your essence.
We're fighting the late summer malaise in search of inspiration ourselves. In the spirit of dressing without a point, we're pushing for the convergence of pieces that don't exactly make sense together… a flip flop with an extra long trouser! A bejeweled lighter case for a non-smoker (what a great opportunity to meet a new friend…or lover). Some reading to further challenge the way you get dressed. Consider this your excuse to buy whatever you want this week ;)
Aforementioned bejeweled lighter case necklace… paired with our new Lake Jane tank tops. 100% organic cotton milled and sewn in North Carolina. Gorgeous!
Cutie BRIGHT red star fish hair clips, made in France out of cellulose acetate and pure joy. We have lighter cases for boys too in case you're afraid of a little glamour.
Our vintage charm curio case from Kind History. Our friend Libby sources the coolest, often useful doo-dads and tchotchkes. Write your phone number on a scrap of paper, roll it up and tuck it in this seashell box charm. Open the seashell and drop it in your crush's palm next time you see them at the bar.
Now here's some out-of-store wildly unnecessary but fun recs of the week.
Speaking of unexpected pairings, what do a nun, a pipe, and a pair of neon stockings have to do with each other? The Phoenician Scheme. We had fun revisiting this kooky roving epic when researching Edie Parker. Wes went to the brand to bring Liesl's signature smoking apparatus to life. How fun!
The NY Times just did a best of the best clothing stores in NYC. A must read for your next visit. The picks we second: Tokio 7, Lara Koleji, Ven Space, forever and always Dover St. Market.
Bubba Gumbo's, the best seafood in Savannah, set in a slipping-into-the-pluff mud-in-one-corner dockside house and accompanying deck. If you're lucky you'll catch a family of sea otters playing in the rising tide. If you're unlucky you'll be subjected to tone deaf Billy Joel covers performed by a local with a permanent tan. Either way, the shrimp are fresh and the margaritas strong!
Evan's been watching The Five Star Weekend which is definitely cheesy but wildly vulgar. Plus it's got our fav it-girl Chloë Sevigny in it.