3/9/10 Required Reading Reflection: "Danish Fashion," by Marie Riegels Melchoir from the Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion

As an American student, I have observed a few particular things about Danish fashion that are different from the United States, many of which resounded with the article, and a few which did not.

Firstly, although I did not take part in many of the activities, I was here when Copenhagen Fashion Week 2010 took place and there was certainly a feeling of excitement in the air . From my perspective, the event was successful in its attempt to increase visibility and even produce pride in Danish fashion design. It is interesting, actually, that throughout the article, the parallel between Danish fashion and furniture design was particularly strong, particularly in the effort to create a national style, the creation of schools, the fading out of traditional tailors/workshops around the mid 20th century and the similar effects of mass production. However, the article suggested that unlike furniture design, which is not experiencing some sort of stagnation in the shadow of the design Golden Age of the 1950's-1970's, today, "interest in fashion in Denmark seems to be continuously growing" such that "Denmark is increasingly branded as a contemporary fashion nation" (11, 12). Granted, Danish furniture is still a power influence in the design sphere, nevertheless, it seems that Danish fashion design is evolving more with the times while Danish furniture design is continuously troubled by its tendency to look backward.

http://www.copenhagenfashionfestival.com/uploads/35284/1265361339.jpg

It seems to me that Danish fashion's ability to move forward in comparison to Danish furniture design may be that during the design Golden Age, the furniture being produced was considered truly Danish where as much of the fashion was strongly influenced by other European fashion designs. Granted, all Danish design is strongly impacted by influences abroad, nevertheless, the fashion industry in Denmark has more room to explore precisely because it does not live in a shadow as big of that as Arne Jacobsen or Hans Wegner.

Another thing that I have observed since being here that the article also addresses is a women's fashion style that is "a feminine, dressed up, yet practical expression" (10). This almost exaggeratedly feminine style was slightly unexpected for me. Considering Denmark's dedication to creating gender equality, somehow, I expected a more androgynous style, especially considering that such a style is currently becoming popularized in the United States. This was not the case, however, and I have to wonder if it is actually a reaction to the more equal positions that men and women enjoy in Denmark. Fashion has attempted to rearticulate the gender differences that social and legal policies have worked to break down. Alternatively, I would say that men do seem more concerned with fashion than men in the United States. Possibly then, the female preoccupation with looking "fashionable" has less to do with presenting feminine gender but more of the result of a cultural interest in looking one's best.

Dress from Bruuns Bazaar, a fashion brand recognized with creating the signature Danish style of being feminine and dressed up while maintaining practicality (as well as often being in neutral colors)

http://shop.bruunsbazaar.com/~B2B/Pictures/models/21288-4742-1.jpg?type=GenerateThumb&w=340&h=410

But something that I was struck by in the article was the statement that Danes spend relatively little of their budget on clothing. Granted, I have a limited perspective since I live with a particular host family, nevertheless, they seem very interested in purchasing clothing, and nice clothing at that. Although they might not have hundreds of pieces like many Americans do, the clothes that they own are of excellent quality and often belong to a well known designer. Therefore, maybe they do not buy a lot of cheap, low quality clothing (again, like Americans do), they nevertheless spend large amounts of money buying clothes that they know are of excellent quality. This seems very reminiscent of the Danes interest in spending large amounts of money on high quality furniture with the understanding that the furniture should last decades.