Oi Jens! Over ‘ere!

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There’s been a bit of Danish fashion casualty this month what with Camilla Staerk having closed its doors and now Jens Laugesen, after six years in the business, has fallen victim as well and with the latter being so dear to me for the following reason, I can only write a letter to express my anguish… 

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Dear Jens,

Can I call you Jens?  Mr Laugesen sounds so formal and rather like a chemistry teacher I had back at school which is a constant reminder that I can’t do maths properly and therefore am not fit for life (or so they said…).

You won everything…ANDAM, Fashion Forward, New Gen…those are great monetary achievements if you like that sort of cold hard cash thing.  But might I add one ickle achievement to your long list?  Promise not to shriek when I tell you.  You’re going to be beaming (this is presuming that you know who the heck I am which of course you don’t, in which case here goes another fan letter reduced to the recycling bin).  You got me to wear trousers… 

I KNOW!   You’re so surprised, right?  I bet you’re falling off your tasteful Danish chair as we speak!  Nestled in amongst hundreds of dresses and skirts, lie three pairs of your trousers bearing that Jens Laugesen label.  They’re constantly fighting for attention.  But like a beautiful bit of cut glass (your trews) in amongst the pile of jumble sale ceramic figures of sad puppies and scary clowns (my dresses and skirts), they will always come out and play on days where a bit of sharp tailoring is needed to fight off letchy Turkish guys on the bus who like to ask me where I’m from (and not in a way that actually expresses a genuine interest in my provenance) and to make me feel that I’m not such a lemon at work and am actually fairly efficient.

In a dark dank sample sale on Brick Lane years ago, I was wrestling with about five dresses and fussy skirts that were awfully frou-frou and fanciful.  Wrestling being the operative word as the sizing was questionable and the shapes even more so.  I was either a big fat sausage or a drowning waif according to those garments.  I knew your game even all the way back then and was aware of what your sadly defunct label was capable of.  So as I passed your rail, I wondered whether my fat sausage state (I had just tried on one of the aforementioned dresses at that point) could carry off your trews.  The satin navy panelling at the sides, the narrow narrow calves and zippers at the ankle would suggest no.  In the changing room though, an epiphany happened.  The other half dressed ladies had been obliterated from my vision and in front all I could see was this; "I can wear trousers!" written in light bulbs with a halo like glow around it.

So over the years, two more pairs followed and they have all been solid.  A bit of unfortunate rain/tear damage to my first pair nearly reduced me to tears in Selfridges where one can’t really cry unless you couldn’t get into the queue at the Gucci sale (a most ridiculous and extreme retail situation if you’ve never seen it and yes, I’ve seen tears) or you are crying from frustration and hunger because the last salt beef sarnie has sold out.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you made me wear trousers.  And that’s not some kind of metaphorical symbolic thing about emasculation.  I’m still alas very much a girl who can’t throw balls for shit.  You’ve just simply enhanced my wardrobe in such a way that I don’t look like some sickeningly sweet girly girl who only wears skirts and dresses and prances around wishing they were in Lula magazine.  Fair enough if there are girls like that.  In my head, I’m not one of them.  I just never found the trews to express that.

You say you might be embarking on work for another label or even starting up your label with a more sound business plan (just don’t put your money in Iceland)…  this isn’t goodbye so much as a memo for you to either read and cherish or more likely, read and throw away in another cool and trendy bit of interior design (I call them bins).

Susie Bubble
AKA
The girl who loves to wear your trews… and can eat lots of buns whilst wearing them.  Huzzah for buns!

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(Jens Laugesen shirt, skirt and trousers, Roland Mouret headband, Rupert Sanderson shoes, vintage black jumper)

42 comments

  7. A LOT of people are going to be going out of business, sadly. I’m trying very hard not to be one of them.

  8. ack is there nothing that can be some, i wonder which designers are next…scary thoughts, cherish your lovely trousers!

  9. What a lovely letter and that ending line well, is one to be quoted lol. Those trousers are stunning, no wonder you gave into them!

  11. Hi,
    I’m a big fan of Staerk and I just wanted to clarify one thing- one of her ex-investors owns her name (creepy, right?) and kept the Camilla Staerk label going without her. She did start the CS label, of course, but left a few years ago. She now lives in NY and designs Staerk. I have the utmost respect and admiration for her, and I hope that her new label thrives for a very long time.
    x

  12. It’s really sad to hear both designers are now defunct, loved both of their works.
    Coincidently, my ex-boyf used to live next door to her studio in Shoreditch we always hear the noises of the sewing machines roaring and interns chatting. And Jens Laugesen used to live at my best friend’s flat on Laburnum St.

  13. Love this! Catwalk walk to wearble deffo smeffo
    I actually miss-read the title and thought it said “Oi Jeans Over-er”
    I don’t think i can imagine you in jeans you know!
    Jen

  15. that was quite the lovely love letter. it is a bit sad …but you’ll always have the trews for fond memories… 🙂

  16. That’s awful! (That it’s going out f business, that is.) Your letter was so sweet and those pants are so cool! I have wanted a pair forever . . . well, ever since I first saw them which was about a year ago.

  18. i don’t understand how he of all people closed down, what with hall the honors hes received.
    and i had no idea about staerk. thats terrible.

  20. it is quiet sad. i do love your letter though, so funny, hopefully after reading he will re open his doors
    we can only hope
    ahhx

  21. This is a gem. I hope this is just one off and you don’t get to write this kinda sad(totally amusing still) letters again.. sad seeing a good brand going out of business.
    I didn’t realise you didn’t own many trews.

  32. I’m Scandinavian, and I love Danish design. Denmark is like all of Scandinavia’s pride. So this is sad.
    But I’m glad you ended the post with the pic, you look so freaking cool:)

  33. Hey Susie,
    I was just reading Professionally Trendy and there was a footnote that went “Random question but, does anyone else check if something was posted on Style Bubble before they make a post? Or is that just me? She’s so sharp, that Susie.”
    My question is, just how on earth do you unearth so much fashion goodness every single day?
    Kudos to you! Your blog is the only one that I check out every day (several times throughout, in fact) and something refreshing always comes up!

  34. “just don’t put your money in Iceland”
    I’ve been a reader of your blog for quite some time and admire your sense of fashion and way of life, but I think I lost some respect for you, when I read that.
    I’m from Iceland, and the state of the economy here is not nearly as bad here as Gordon Brown may have made it look, what with him calling us terrorists and all.
    Just wanted to clear that up.

  38. oh for goodness sake greta…it was obviously a joke. there is always going to be someone offended no matter what…

  39. Lighten up. Greta.
    As New York New York said Camilla Staerk (the designer) is still very much in business. But she designs under the name Staerk now.

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