Let's go party with Baum und Pferdgarten - and Barbie

LÆS DEN DANSKE UDGAVE HER

Baum und Pferdgarten, Wednesday, 9. August 2023 at 19.00, Amaliegade 15, 1265 Copenhagen K

With two weeks since the Barbie movie premiered, and a $150 million marketing budget to go along with it, it really seems like Barbie is here, there, and everywhere. This includes the Baum und Pferdgarten’s show this evening, where both sailor Barbie, glitter Barbie, business Barbie, and yes, even Ken, made an appearance – although the two creative directors Helle Hestehave and Rikke Baumgarten are hardly included in Mattel’s budget.

White, black, blue and all shades of pink, from delicate baby pink to luminous neon pink. It is that easy to explain when it comes to the colour palette of Baum und Pferdgarten’s SS24 collection. And whether it intentionally almost coincided with the Barbie premiere, or whether it was just a source of inspiration that could not be avoided, is impossible to say. But it is absolutely certain that Helle Hestehave and Rikke Baumgarten are good at building their collections around clear, thoughtful concepts.

And if anyone has had enough of Barbie, it wasn’t the show’s audience – including yours truly. With Barbie as the focal point, this is a fun, festive and light-hearted collection that insists on making space for playfulness in fashion. We just have to hope people haven’t grown tired of the pink craze when the collection is available next spring.

On the topic of styling, however, Baum und Pferdgarten managed to make the collection more updated and less about Barbie (there was no big, blonde hair, pink lips or blue eyeliner). The make-up was natural, featuring light layers of lip gloss here and there, with hair pulled back into simple monochrome cotton headbands, like those which have been gradually taking up more and more of the street scene. Think glass starfish and seashells on necklaces and belly chains. And when it came to the shoes, (almost all) were completely flat. Think Barbie in the real world.

The collection was vast and varied from suits, jeans and culotte shorts, to coats, knitted little tops, shirts and party dresses. Then there were the sets. A maritime set with a high-waisted tight skirt detailed with small fringing below the knees, and a matching strap top in navy blue with white edges and striped pockets. White and pink chequered shorts and a matching jacket with sewn-on pockets. A delicate baby pink denim set subdued with a subtle heart and floral print, and a fitted blouse with chest pockets and fronted buttons. The updated milk boy set with wide trousers, and a cinched-waist jacket clad in blue and white stripes of varying width. I could go on.

The majority of Baum und Pferdgarten’s Barbie wardrobe clearly consists of sets as we know them from the toy store, where sets and associated professions could be bought in small, pink packages. But a large part of the wardrobe also consists of sequins, lace, and frills. The girly stuff (in the most positive sense of the word) that makes dressing up fun. The lace leggings in particular were a nice touch in the styling when tucked underneath dresses and skirts, but they were particularly strong on their own; a bolder approach, and one we would rather see more of these days. 

With a 25th anniversary just around the corner, Baum und Pferdgarten remains an established part of Copenhagen Fashion Week, and as one of the oldest brands on the calendar, one could be tempted to wonder if they can keep up. But with today’s collection, there is certainly no reason for that; they manage to keep the look young, fresh, and playful – just like a certain other strong brand with many more years behind it.

See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here. 

Forrige Næste

This show review is translated from Danish to English by Sophie Axon.