When it rains, it pours outfit ideas.
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Nowhere on my packing list for Copenhagen Fashion Week did I think to include one of my best oversized coats. Usually, Copenhagen's street style in August mirrors the carefree, sunsoaked attitude of the spring and summer runways. The sun glistens on the canals. Shows are held outdoors—in gardens, museum lawns, and on the waterfront. Guests pay homage to Scandi style and the height of summer accordingly in brilliantly colored dresses and sneakers made for biking between appointments. So I, ever the fashion optimist, packed based on what I expected instead of what the Weather App said.
Then I touched down in the Danish fashion capital in a downpour and realized the season's street style trends would be determined by a force no designer or editor can control: the forecast. Rain and wind have shown up uninvited to almost every show, making outerwear, and oversized coats in particular, the accidental stars of street style. This isn't to say that precipitation dampened anyone's personal style; instead, it challenged editors and influencers to rethink their summer layering and inspired me to reconsider my coat collection in the process. It may not look like the height of summer, yet these jacket and coat-centric outfits are exactly what I needed to get excited for fall.
A trench coat I tracked down from Copenhagen's network of vintage stores and designers handing out branded umbrellas saved my own wardrobe from the deluge. With a little more preparation—and fresh outfit ideas from the week's street style in mind—I may have packed one of the best oversized coats below instead. Each selection was inspired by street style trends developing at the current season of Copenhagen Fashion Week, and chosen for its materials, fit, and shopper reviews.
Rainy days and trench coats go together like beach resorts and raffia tote bags: You can't dress for one without the other. Naturally, trench coats were the most popular choice for Copenhagen Fashion Week attendees dressing for a drizzly schedule. It didn't matter whether editors were wearing an exaggerated cargo pant with a clingy A.Roege Hove knit top or one of summer's white maxi skirts and a little sweater: They opted for lengths that draped to the ground with a nonchalant attitude—a counterpoint to the usual crispness of a classic trench coat.
In some cases, the runways reflected back what editors were wearing in the front row. As if anticipating the deluge back when they started sketching months ago, new runway collections including Skall Studio and The Garment incorporated trench and car coats to layer over crochet summer dresses.
For styles to try now, I can vouch for AYR's super-soft and water resistant trench coat; it's slightly oversized but not overwhelming in its proportions. (If only I had packed it!) Progressions of the trench coat silhouette worth your attention come with pleats at Sacai, a ruffled collar at Isabel Marant, and a strong, double-breasted silhouette recommended by Net-a-Porter's buying director at Totême.
I wasn't surprised by the prevalence of oversized flight jackets as I was newly inspired by them. Celebrity street style has mostly limited its aviator moments to pairings with a straight-leg jean and a white tank top. I'll never knock that classic look, but Copenhagen street style got a little more adventurous. At one show, I noted a guest balancing her extra-large, brown leather jacket with a tissue-thin green top with an exaggerated, asymmetric hemline and billowy white trousers; at several, a slouchy leather aviator jacket finished off a richly textured monochromatic look based on a maxi dress or a textured lace pant. It's these outfits I'll think of when I'm styling Magda Butrym's creamy black leather bomber or Tibi's version covered in cargo pockets.
Lining up for one of the week's many outdoor fashion shows, I overheard one guest ask another the question on a lot of editors' minds: "Who's designing chic raincoats?"
It's a more loaded question than it seems: heavy-duty, all-terrain jackets have utility covered but can lack the elegant look of a wool coat or trench like the ones above. Still, I found a few answers inspired by the glossy raincoats I saw outside Saks Potts and OpéraSport. Brands specializing in gear for inclement weather, like Stutterheim and Rains, updated a select few of their longer coats with patent and satin-like shine (plus all the rain-proofing a summer downpour requires). These fabrics are another canvas for contrast and texture in an outfit for fashion month and beyond—and they'll keep you dry.
Seated at an outdoor, waterfront runway in wind and rain, all underdressed guests like myself could wish for was a warm blanket—or the oversized coat equivalent. The fashion insiders who were better prepared draped wool, cashmere, and other cozily fabricated coats over their otherwise summery outfits. (Most often, they've worn them open for a fun juxtaposition with the look underneath.)
In versatile tones and a streamlined shape, these coats have the most everyday outfit potential through all of fall and spring. I have my eye on The Row and Fear of God for equally timeless interpretations of the longline coat style. For another chilly fashion week when there's more than myself to impress, unique detail like Ganni's asymmetric closure or Jacquemus's extra-large cargo pockets make the silhouette feel special.
Halie LeSavage is the fashion commerce editor at Harper's BAZAAR. Her style reporting covers everything from reviewing the best designer products to profiling emerging brands and designers. Previously, she was the founding retail writer at Morning Brew and a fashion associate at Glamour.
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