Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave’s fall show opened with the whistle of Arctic winds and the crunch of a foot on ice-topped snow. Then the models came out in strappy silver sandals. The name the designers gave their North Pole-inspired collection is Pursuing Polaris, yet the set consisted of a giant blow-up of the moon. It’s fair to say there were some mixed metaphors at play in a lineup whose bright spots were pieces that stuck close to the house DNA, rather than the seasonal theme.
Tailoring, especially in tweed and checks, is a Baum und Pferdgarten specialty. This season they cut skirt suits, one a pinstripe with a draped skirt, another with a miniskirt that had a 1960s vibe. Black and white gingham lined a khaki trench, a winter white overcoat was layered over a quilted nylon topper. Baum and Pferdgarten introduced a sporty element to their offering last season, and it would have been nice to see them explore that more deeply here. Quilted and padded pants veered between street and slope without a final destination. In contrast, ski-inspired sweaters and other warm-looking knits, including a cable-knit turtleneck vest, and a couple of heavy marinières looked smart, and pleasingly down to earth.
