A connection to nature and the ability to find beauty in the quotidian is part of the Scandinavian ethos. In a voiceover on the soundtrack of her show, Emilie Helmstedt urged the audience to find treasure in the everyday. She certainly does that through her fashions, which depict organic forms such as clouds, mushrooms, and strawberries, as well as extraterrestrials.
This Danish designer generally crafts seasonal worlds that tip into the fantastical (her charming mushroom girl is unforgettable), but fall found her in a more down to earth mood in terms of approach. Helmstedt spent a lot of time on the road last year meeting clients and observing the needs of different people in various places across the globe. Having absorbed all that information she seemed to have gone back through her past collections and collected favorite pieces to show again, with some amendments, like sheer sleeves.
A hand painted jumpsuit (like those first shown for fall 2023) reappeared, as did aliens, knit sets, and embroidered jackets. It’s not necessary for a designer to reinvent the wheel each season, but this collection didn’t so much evolve as reiterate. It felt like Helmstedt was trying to please other people or follow their advice rather than creating a world or telling a story, as in the past. Still, there was newness in more subtle color gradients, while a dimensional denim-look jacquard cut into a boiler suit and covered with novelty brooches oozed charm the Helmstedt way.
