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14 12 2017Danes know how to wear many layers of clothes with 'rollazo'
And since spending so much time in Copenhagen I have taken note.
By Blanca de Almandoz@balmandozReading: 6 minutesMore than:Autumn - Winter 2017/2018 Trends
tricks
When you travel frequently to Copenhagen, there are two things you end up getting used to. The first is that in Denmark babies are parked at the door. And I say well: they park. Because parents leave their carts neatly arranged at the entrance of the restaurant/cafe/bar exposed to snow or rain (with a waterproof bubble, of course) until their little one wakes up from his nap and can take a seat at the table. I've seen parents describe the pram from which a cry comes for another clueless parent to go out and take care of their child: "The owner of the blue Maclaren?!" And the second is that all the women you see on the street could be fashion bloggers.
See 20 photosFrom look to lookazo with swan neck
It doesn't matter if it's -8º, that your nose is as lit up as Rudolph's or that you've given up the battle of your hair against the snowstorm. With their diving suit and their après ski boots, they have found a way to add a graceful touch to their outfit with a neckerchief or an ideal bag. How cute are these girls always!
Already in my first visits I concluded that those surprisingly fresh and light looks must hide some mystery invisible to my eyes. How was it possible that I had not removed any of the layers of clothing that I had thrown on myself at the airport to lighten the only bag allowed on Easyjet and they were without a coat? Indeed, their looks had and still have a trick, but not the one that everyone believes.
The stereotype says that Scandinavian style is bland, minimalist, and essentially black, gray, or white and, if anything, burgundy. But the reality is that the former is a lie, the latter may be truer in Sweden, and the latter is more German than Nordic. The real secret of the Danish style is layering. A noble art that they dominate to perfection because... They have no other choice!
In winter, it is the only way to deal with changes in temperature between the cold of the street and the heating of the establishments. And in what they call summer, it is the solution to be able to wear dresses or tank tops more than one week a year. To this we must add the practical issue: as Pernille Teisbaek repeats incessantly in her book How to dress Scandinavian, Danes, above all, like to be comfortable. By nature -they tend to avoid tight clothes and you won't see them show off their waists or derrière like Parisian women- and by functionality, since most of them ride a bike.
1. They already wore pants when it was frowned upon
Before it was a trend, the Danes had already thought of extending the life of their summer dresses with pants and a t-shirt or sweater underneath. In this way, not only can they wear them for longer, but this simple style trick solves life on the bike for them.
2. Coat: double or nothing
As we said, fashion editor Pernille Teisbaek insists that Danish women prioritize their comfort above all else. This means that they have lost their fear of loose silhouettes and loose garments. Corduroy, of course, but also down jackets and even ski suits in the middle of the city and without anyone wondering if they look too wide. When the temperatures allow it and to amortize their cloth coats and fine jackets (what we call mid-season garments), they put them on two by two. Before Céline made it fashionable, lya Danes wore two coats, a plaid jacket with her camel coat or a denim jacket under her leather jacket.
3. The rule of three
It doesn't matter how many you can see with the naked eye, if you want to know how many layers of clothing a Dane wears, multiply your bet by 3. Because where you only see a sweater and pants, they wear a thermal undershirt, a thin sweater, several pairs of socks and , surely, fur insoles to keep the feet warm and regulate the whole body temperature.
4. We accept turtleneck as undershirt
Under a round neck sweater, a strapless dress, another roll neck sweater but made of wool and thicker. It is the most important wild card in your wardrobe. It must be thin to be able to combine it easily and even add a thicker one on top. Do you remember the rule of 3? If you see a Danish girl wearing a thick knit turtleneck sweater, it is VERY likely that she is wearing a fine wool one underneath because it is what best conserves body heat.
5. There are never too many socks
In general, they prefer to invest in good footwear, be it Sorel boots or any après ski model that meets certain requirements. They have to be warm, waterproof, not slip on icy streets and allow some freedom of movement to drive the bike. That said, they are unlikely to wear tights under their pants although they do wear thermal leggings and love layering socks. But if so, let them see. The Danish maxim is that there is no bad weather, only poor clothing. They are used to the Nordic climate and take advantage of the fact that they have to wear several extra layers of clothing to take advantage of it and play with their look. That is why they wear socks with sandals, better if they are colored, each layer of a different shade and letting one pair peek out from under the other.
6. Body, the secret weapon
Although you will also see some ankles sticking out of the bottom of the pants in the middle of winter in Copenhagen, a true Dane will always have some strategic parts of her skin covered. That is, head, feet and kidneys (the lower back). The first two because they are the parts of the body through which we lose body heat and the last one because it ends up causing pain and discomfort. The solution is to always wear your sweater tucked into your pants, but if that's not enough, a basic wool bodysuit can be your secret weapon. Moreover, you will see that this solution allows you to lighten a layer of clothing.
7. The World Upside Down
With a woolen garment close to the body to maintain the temperature, you can begin to reverse the order in which you normally dress. Instead of starting with the top and ending with the sweater, they do it the other way around or they wouldn't have the chance to show the shirt. All this finished off with a masculine blazer jacket and over the coat.
See 20 photosFrom look to lookazo with swan neck
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