Danish It Girl Pernille Teisbaek popped over to London for 48 hours to attend the Fashion Awards as a guest of Pandora. She gives us an inside look at her trip, culminating in walking the blue carpet
For this week's Fashion Awards in London, as the industry’s finest scrambled to get their hands on looks from the latest collections, Pernille Teisbaek took an alternate approach. The Danish It girl ascended the blue carpeted steps to the Royal Albert Hall in an archival John Galliano. Originally presented at the designer’s 1996 collection, the effortless black slip dress, with its feathered neckline and waterfall hem brought a certain effortless nostalgia to the occasion. “I’ve actually been looking for a vintage Galliano dress for a while and then this one popped up,” says Teisbaek, noting that the frock hugs the body just so. “It’s a dress I’ll wear for years ahead, so I thought, ‘Why not invest in that for a special night?’”
Photo: Getty
To lean into the low-key 1990s vibe, Teisbaek complemented the look with natural waves and a subtle cat eye, accessorising with timeless gold Pandora jewellery (Teisbaek was a guest of the Danish jewellery brand, which is also the title sponsor of the Fashion Awards). “I rarely wear dresses – so wearing a dress is a little bit wild for me,” she says. “So if I’m wearing a dress, I need the hair to be casual.”
In the 48 hours leading up to the awards, Teisbaek stayed true to the vintage vibe. She spent her Sunday perusing a few of London’s most beloved vintage stores, including West Archive (a must-visit for 1990s and early 2000s holy grails) and Nordic Poetry, a Shoreditch shop owned by Swedish stylist Ameli Lindgren. “When I arrived in London, I wasn’t totally sure about my dress choice, so I had a few appointments at my favourite vintage stores,” says Teisbaek, noting that when it comes to vintage, one ought to try things on in-person to get the sizing right. Though she ultimately went with the Galliano, she’s still dreaming of a couple pieces she spotted. “I tried on this iconic Gucci Tom Ford leather jacket from the '90s at Nordic Poetry,” she says. “I’m already regretting not buying it.
Photo: Moeez
Photo: Moeez
Afterwards, Teisbaek made a visit to the immaculate Pandora styling suite in the penthouse at 1 Hotel in Mayfair. There, she sipped a green tea as stylists Alexandra Cronan and Kate Foley helped her pick out the perfect pieces to complement her look. Ultimately she opted for a bespoke 14kt gold pendent necklace set with a 2ct lab-grown diamond pendant (“It has a vintage feel,” notes Teisbaek and the 14kt gold Infinite bangle, worn up around her bicep. “It was a bit pop girl, early 2000s,” she says of the cuff. “It enhanced the vibe.”
The morning of the awards was spent enjoying extraordinary fashion from a different era entirely. Teisbaek and the rest of Pandora’s guests enjoyed a private tour of the renowned exhibition Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A Museum. “It was a little bit sad – especially as a mum,” says Teisbaek, who has four children. “It’s an awful story.” Still, the fashion was awe-inspiring, and particularly relevant given that Dilara Findikoglu, whose corset-heavy looks pull from the Antoinette aesthetic, scooped up the Vanguard Award last night. “I really thought of Dilara – with the corsets and the bondage – there was a bravery to wearing those dresses,” says Teisbaek. Also among the exhibition, another vintage Galliano; an extraordinary 2006 couture dress from his tenure at Dior.
Posing with Paloma Elsesser at the awards . Photo: Pernille Teisbaek
With Sarah Harris. Photo: Sam Lort
Thoroughly inspired, it was time to get ready and head to the awards. Though Teisbaek enjoyed catching up with fashion pals like Paloma Elsesser and taking in the performance by Raye, her highlight of the evening came a bit later. “The best part was getting back to the hotel, having a glass of champagne with my best friend and Helena Christensen in the bar,” she says, referring to BFF Cecilie Thorsmark. “It was such a Copenhagen moment in London. That’s more my vibe.”