Nicklas Skovgaard's 1980s muse opens fashion week
Last year's show debutant Nicklas Skovgaard, this season built on the signature he has already managed to create with a show that contained many exciting elements, but also has room for the improvements that a young talent must face.This show review was translated from Danish to English by Graham Addinall.
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Nicklas Skovgaard, Monday, January 29, 2024 at 3 PM, Helligåndshuset
The honour of opening Copenhagen Fashion Week with the first show this season belonged to the young talent Nicklas Skovgaard, who debuted last season with a show that was equal parts design and performance art, a show that deservedly won him a nomination as ‘New Name of the Year ‘ and ‘Fashion Event of the Year’ at the ELLE Awards in September. Therefore, there were high expectations for today’s show and they were met – at least on some points.
It is from three muses of the 1980s that Nicklas Skovgaard has drawn his inspiration this season: Melanie Griffith’s character Tess McGill in the classic film Working Girl, singer Lecia Jønsson from the Danish pop duo Laban and, last but not least, his mother, Annie, particularly during the time when she was training as an aerobics instructor in London in the 1980s – a complete classic of that era. Three different lives and three different professions were merged in one wardrobe.
From the vinyl tube dress and the harem pants to the big shoulders and wide elastic bands at the waist, all the 80s references were there but at the same time there was a development in the collection which gave it a more contemporary relevance. It was especially fun to see how Skovgaard plays with balloon shapes and the sometimes almost odd proportions. The woven materials are also worth highlighting (amid meters of grey melange jersey) because the designer weaves himself: definitely one of his strengths, particularly in a midnight blue coat dress. Overall, the outerwear was some of the strongest in the collection: an oversized coat with pearl embellishment, a black bomber and a brown leather anorak really stood out.
There is a lot of positive things to say about Skovgaard, who since he was very young has dedicated his life to fashion, initially as a blogger around 2010. In just two seasons, he has taken ownership of his silhouettes and has created an easily recognisable signature, something that many designers spend several seasons to achieve. On the other hand, you also sense of an almost over-zealousness in his collection. He really wants to show us a lot, but you miss him delving a little more deeply into the clothes he makes, maybe making less, so that the simple style is cherished a little more. A poorly pressed seam and fluttering threads are admittedly small things, but together with worn stilettos and plastic pom-poms, they become a bit messy. If they were controlled, it would help to elevate the overall expression and add a tightness which I think it is missing in the middle of his otherwise accomplished narrative.
See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here.
