A round trip to 90s Manhattan
This show review was translated from Danish to English by Graham Addinall.
LÆS DEN DANSKE UDGAVE HER
Lovechild 1979, Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 15.00, National Museum of Denmark
There was a roar of jubilation when Anne-Dorthe Larsen and her design manager Hanne Yoo Andersen came out on the catwalk at the end of a sober show with twenty-five well-dressed models who could have continued straight out of the National Museum and down the street as street style – in the literal sense of the word . They were the kind of clothes you wear on a winter day like today, regardless of what job you have, which don’t attract much attention, but enjoy recognition for their good taste.
Many have been excited about how the brand’s founder will carry the baton on again after the departure of Mia Kappelgaard, who had spent a few years in the executive chair, to move Lovechild 1979 towards a more Scandi-minimalist look. Away from the very feminine prints and soft silhouettes that initially made Larsen successful. She has now chosen to take as a starting point the developments that have taken place, but does it in her own way with a detour into the 90s American big-city minimalism.
Back then, all of Manhattan seemed to be populated by businesswomen on the go, in sneakers and monochrome clothing with high-heeled flip-flops in their power bags. Larsen herself slowed down when she left her brand a few years ago, and now she indirectly implements her own ethics in the collection. Sure, it bears the hallmarks of minimalism with toned-down details and color palette, but she adds a more relaxed approach to looking grown-up. She makes it office chic by tucking a muted tobacco brown mohair sweater down a black midi skirt, wearing a navy cropped fringed bolero jacket over a long charcoal grey cardigan and skinny pants, wearing a black bomber jacket with a matching nylon baggy skirt, giving a blue V- dress volume with nice pleats on the shoulder and throwing on a blazer in a maxi herringbone weave with a matching woollen coat over it. All in all, she is really strong on outerwear with some striking trench coats in crisp grey and olive canvas, often with an extra shawl-like wrap-around effect as protection against Danish wind and rain.
To emphasize the modern minimalism – instead of the 90s from-sneakers-to-pumps look – she has designed comfortable moccasin slippers in leather with room for two pairs of socks, and a pair of finer tulle shoes with a heel in black open leather braid, which go with the great folding clutch of the time – also part of this season’s accessories at Lovechild 1979.
Larsen has also looked into her digital crystal ball to see what AI can be used for. She has turned to architect Mohammad Qasim Iqbal, who has caused a stir with his experimental facades (it has to be seen to understand the context, so google it!) and translated the fascination into bright, tactile fabrics with cobweb patterns, tweed-bouclé and buttoned wool, which she interprets in a softer, less structured silhouette. Maybe her new way of being feminine? It just doesn’t seem quite as strong as the rest of the collection which was fully deserving of the aforementioned roar from the show’s audience.
See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here.
