Sophie Bille Brahe’s Guide to Shopping in Copenhagen

Sophie Bille Brahe knows Danish style better than almost anyone. The jewelry designer, who launched her namesake brand in 2011, is famous for her playful pearl designs, which take a sometimes-stuffy material and make it totally modern. With Copenhagen Fashion Week kicking off today, there are few people better equipped to reflect on Danish style and recommend a few places in the city to shop. “Danish people have a very specific way of dressing up. It has to be practical. We need to be able to ride a bike or pick up our children and go to work,” she tells Vogue. “I love these oversized dresses that women wear with sneakers. The Copenhagen fashion scene is very comfortable and yet elegant.” 

The event Bille Brahe looks forward to the most this fashion week is the dinner her brother, chef Frederik Bille Brahe, will host. “Frederik’s cuisine is delicious, he knows how to find the perfect balance between a luxurious meal and a very relaxed and cozy atmosphere. The setting makes the fancy dinner very personal. It’s always a lot of fun and I am very much looking forward to it,” she says. This dinner party will be extra special as the occasion is to fête her sister-in-law Caroline Bille Brahe’s new store opening (For Scandi Cool style, look no further than her label Caro Editions). 

But perhaps most importantly, this week, Bille Brahe will be unveiling a special new collection, Lettre de Lumière, launching February 3 on her website and Browns Fashion. Inspired by Inger Christensen’s short poems, the new collection is a series of simple letter rings, necklaces, and stud earrings inspired by signet rings. “For this collection, I had a very playful process of creation,” she says. “I used my handwriting as a starting point and from this, I wanted to create something almost magical that one could pass on from generation to generation.” A modern interpretation of the signet ring, the earrings are personal and heirloom-worthy without feeling stuffy. Is there a descriptor better in line with Scandi chic?