Fashion in Copenhagen films and TV shows

Abstract

This article examines the representations of fashion and clothing through the history of Copenhagen films and TV shows. Because a comprehensive study of Copenhagen media does not yet exist, we have reviewed, compiled and analysed many examples of historical and contemporary films and television shows that have a special relationship with the city and its fashion. We examine the ways in which the city is mediated, how various film genres (including social realism, historical costume dramas and contemporary lifestyle dramas) and TV shows (ranging from historical and political dramas to Nordic noir crime series) use the characters’ clothing as signifiers and representations of class, careers, lifestyles and identities. The clothing and fashion in these works reveal many underlying cultural messages, motivations of the characters, as well as important social, cultural and political commentary on the city as a microcosm for society at large. Our methodology is grounded in cultural history, fashion history and media analysis, with a particular attention to the cultural, political and urban transformations in Copenhagen over the decades, and the role fashion plays in the city’s cultural landscape.