Presented in spirited photographs that capture youth, eclecticism, and joy, this resort collection is representative, said Ditte Reffstrup, of “Ganni 2.0.” As Vogue Business reported in April, the brand parted ways with CEO Laura du Rusquec. During her tenure, Ganni showed in Paris, and elevation seemed to be the mantra. Now it seems the Ganni garçonne has reverted to the freewheeling Ganni Girl who entered the scene with much gusto back in 2012. Reffstrup spoke of turning a page and starting over, but this collection felt more like a return to form, as it built on the Ganni of yore in its emphasis on separates meant to be layered in unexpected ways (sporty stripes over lace, something dress-up with something casual). Plus color and lots of smiles.
In approaching this collection, Reffstrup said, “I wanted to dive into a little bit of escapism, and I needed a fairytale.” In Denmark, these traditional stories are associated with Hans Christian Andersen, not Disney, meaning the emphasis is on a hero’s journey rather than the tidy happily ever after. The fit felt right, the creative director explained, because “this season is always about family and coziness, but at the same time also super social, outgoing party occasions, so it has this dualism [just as] a fairytale always contains the dark and the light, the evil and the good; the transformation the character always needs to go through—which I find really inspiring—and then it almost always ends well.”
The lookbook opens with a bang with a leopard print skirt that poufs out at the hips. Its bite is balanced by a fluffy logo vest featuring a whimsical creature motif. Reffstrup, who loves animal print, introduced cheetah this season; it’s best in a flocked material cut into a groovy tunic-and-pant set that could also be worn as separates. A shrunken duffle coat has a touch of Wonderland, while red kitten heels suggest Oz. Sweetness is introduced through Peter Pan collars—one added, unexpectedly, to a bomber jacket, a logo lace introduced last season, and rose prints. While the creative director equates a satiny yellow dress with Belle or Snow White, she has kept one foot in reality. “This is for me a true Danish girl, it’s someone you’d see for sure in Copenhagen,” she said of a model wearing a puff-sleeved green sweatshirt, cocoa-colored corduroy carpenter pants, a lacy scarf, and gorpcore snow boots. This look demonstrates why Ganni remains a destination for cool-girl garb.
