Inspired by the mid-century master Severin Hansen, this season’s offering was a layering-lovers dream
“For me, Lovechild 1979 has always resonated with the architectural lines of mid-century Danish design. A love story between functionality, craftsmanship and the elegant beauty of minimalism,” explains Lovechild 1979’s creative director Mia Kappelgaard. And that merger between architecture and fashion has never been quite so evident than in today’s autumn/winter 2023 collection as models sailed through the history-lined walls of City Hall in Copenhagen’s Frederiksberg, accompanied by the entrancing soundtrack of a live singer and saxophone.
Inspired by the tactility of furniture and mid-century modern master Severin Hansen, texture is key to Kappelgaard’s Considered Simplicity collection, presented in hues of rich, chocolatey browns, dirty dappled pinks and navy blues. “His stringent aesthetics combined with the quintessential Scandinavian simplicity has inspired a collection that plays with the contrast of masculine and feminine, and explores the relationship between volume and silhouette,” explains Kappelgaard.
The collection comprises of creme lace-knitted dresses and knitted sweater and skirt sets, along with our highlight: a buttery cloud-like shearling creation, like a giant bear hug in jacket form. “The tactility and choice of material is such a central part of my process, and for this collection I worked a lot with heavy wool and technical materials like Thinsulate. But I fell in love with the shearling fur, and really wanted it to play a part in the collection. The raw yet beautiful, dense look of the skin is for me nature meets functionality at its best,” explains Kappelgaard, clearly thrilled by the prospect of showing her first collection for Lovechild 1979 designed entirely by her hand.
Outwear was layered leisurely on top – we saw a slimmed-down, kneel-length version of the winter woollen coat in a mini houndstooth pattern, with roomy pockets and exaggerated lapels, along with a boxy leather shirt jacket in rich burgundy, and oversized, sharp-lined woollen blazers. “The architectural lines of classic mid-century Danish design have always resonated with Lovechild 1979 as they share a similar obsession with functionality, craftsmanship and the elegant beauty of minimalism," explains the designer.
Succinctly finishing the looks were chunky shearling sandals – styled with thick knitted socks – and a ‘70s-style structured chocolate hand stitched leather tote bag (big enough for a laptop, we checked). But undoubtedly, the jewel of the lot was the final look: a floor-sweeping lime green dress, delivering the colour injection that we have been hoping for this season.
