Despite the polish and fanfare, Rotate's party girl has faded

The second to last show of the Copenhagen Fashion Week was, as usual, Rotate, which usually ensures that we close and shut down with a bang, but today the party felt a little flat.

LÆS DEN DANSKE UDGAVE HER

Rotate, Thursday 10. August 2023 at 18.00 at Hotel D’Angleterre

Normally, I’m a big believer that fashion can and should be fun. The clothes should be festive and exciting, because then I believe that we a) will be happy to wear them and b) keep them, love them and take care of them for a long time. But it means that the clothes have to be made so that they can last, both physically and aesthetically. And when I catch myself getting a little bored of what should be the highlight of the party aka fashion week, well, maybe time has run out a bit from Rotate.

Because that is unfortunately what happened today. And maybe we’ve just being overexposed to breasts, buttocks and everything in between these days, but there is no longer any shock effect in either one or the other. Not even when the breasts are accompanied by spinning tassels, although they are fun enough.

And it’s not to be a party killer, because this thing about making an entire brand just with party dresses – I’m all for it! In general, I really like it when a brand chooses a category and excels within it. But if you’re going to be every party girl’s favourite dress brand, you need to make some really, really good dresses, in gorgeous quality and eye-catching designs, so you want to wear them weekend after weekend after weekend. The ones that work every time, and it is okay that you have worn before, because it’s that good.

Gone are the days when we have to wear a new dress to every party, and I’m sorry to say it, but it’s not the mesh dress in pale nylon stocking colour with matching hood that covers the whole face that I’m going to pull out of the closet time and time again – and I wonder which woman’s favourite it would be? And I’m not saying that there is not a single dress in the collection that could become someone’s next favourite dress, because there certainly is, just as there are definitely some good ideas going on when Thora Valdimars and Jeanette Madsen go to the drawing board.

They have lots of good moves going on, all of which invite dancing and ensure that the wearer becomes the centre of the party. There is a full plate of glitter, fringe, sequins, tulle, miniskirts and lacquer, lacquer, lacquer as far as the eye can see. The black silk dress, where the deep back almost goes straight down into the thigh-high slit, if it weren’t for five centimetres of fabric and a tassel, could, for example, be a good bet for a future favourite dress. And the bejewelled knickers á la the ones Carrie wears from Dolce & Gabbana to the infamous fashion show in Sex & the City, I actually also see a lot of possibilities in them.

I really love the idea of a dress brand where you could always go and find the best party dresses. But with the summer we’ve had, where even the biggest climate denier must be waking up, it’s hard not to demand the best from the brands we see during fashion week. And on other occasions I’ve absolutely loved Rotate – been entertained, empowered and ready for a trip to Søpavillonen after their show. It’s usually a huge celebration of girl power, sexiness and inclusion, and that’s what they can do. But it wasn’t there today, and I kind of hope that it’s just a little bump in the road and that Rotate will come back strong.

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