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Good style is all about emotion, according to model and photographer Helena Christensen. “I don’t have a specific style. My style is everything that I love: textures, colors, the feeling of fabric when you touch it,” Christensen explained over Zoom. “All of that put together somehow miraculously, and magically, turns into great style.”
Spending her career around some of fashion’s greatest talents has of course influenced her, but the fundamentals of her style is her teen self. “I would wear vintage ball gowns to school with old long johns underneath and sneakers at 15 or 16, and would get a lot of jokes about it from the boys,” she said “I didn’t care. I loved that so much.”
While she tries not to shop too much, when she does, she prefers to shop in person, specifically at thrift stores and antiques markets. Christensen loves how magical it feels to find a special vintage piece, especially dresses. She also frequents department stores in Copenhagen that remind her of shopping with her grandmother as a child. “We’d go up to the top floor and she’d get us lunch. It felt so decadent and grown-up,” she recalled.
Below, see where Christensen got the pieces that made it into her curated wardrobe.
Where did you get the item you wear the most?
My one-shoulder swimsuit is from my collaboration with Hunza G. When I sat down to think of the style of the collection, it was important for me that the pieces were versatile enough to wear every day or for a cocktail party. I wear my swimsuit as a bodysuit, with jeans and a silk shirt over it. I love that they’re not just for swimming. You can bring them on holiday and layer them with a few extra pieces.
Where did you get your favorite pair of shoes?
My ballerina flats are from Marc Jacobs. They’re a beautiful green and the perfect flats. He’s one of the first designers to do ballet flats in a way where you really covet them. They’re perfectly designed and so comfortable. You can wear them with everything.
Where do you get your favorite gifts to give?
Slow Roads. They’re good at finding old paintings and drawings, which I collect. I have a great framer near me, and I’ll get vintage frames. I love receiving something where people made an effort in finding something unique and personal. I also like to gift candles. They have some amazing ones there. I just got some hand-dipped ones made of beeswax. They’re shaped like pumpkins.
Where did you get your favorite piece of clothing?
An antiques market in France. It’s an old evening dress. I think maybe it was a wedding dress at some point. It’s a very beautiful sort of hay color, and it has such incredible embroidery. The craftsmanship is mind-blowing, and I have it hanging like an art piece.
Where did you get the inanimate object that brings you the most joy?
I found my pink seashell while traveling. Any kind of seashell or anything from the ocean or a body of water means a lot to me. I have a huge love for the ocean, rivers, lakes. I spend a lot of time in water all year round. Since I was little, I’ve collected driftwood, rocks, and seashells from all over the world. I did a lot of beach shoots, and I was always looking for rocks and shells. My suitcase is always extra-heavy. It brings me such joy to look at them. This one is so beautiful. Each one is a piece of art created by nature! I keep this one on top of a green rug, and I love the pink and green together.
Where did you get what’s on your nightstand?
A bookstore. I tend to not read at all for a period and then suddenly I’m reading three books at the same time. If a book catches my interest, then I’ll go through it in a matter of days. I just devour it. Right now, I’m reading a book about how in the 19th century the king of Denmark sent an expedition to ancient Arabia to collect information about the culture, animal species, and ocean life.
Where did you get your signature scent?
My perfume company with my friend Elizabeth. It’s called Strangelove, and we’re working on the sixth scent. We have five perfumes so far, and the first one I use the most. It’s called Dead of Night. They’re all based on pure oud.
Where did you get the item you’ve had for the longest time?
My little stuffed elephant was given to me when I was born. I slept with it every single night, and my mom gave me the first onesie I wore and I put it on the elephant. It’s been with me my whole life. When I started traveling for work when I was a young girl, I was alone and I was away from friends and family and thrust into the world, but I always had my little elephant with me and it gave me a lot of comfort. It’s a bit tattered and I’ve stopped traveling with him, because at some point he was lost in a suitcase and I didn’t get it back for several weeks. It was so painful.
Where did you get the item you’ll never get rid of?
My father gave me his camera. It was the camera he used when he was 18 or 19 years old. It’s a very beautiful leather-bound Rolleiflex one. I’m not even sure you can get the film for it anymore. I’m going to look into it. I have a lot of photographers in my family, so I’m grateful to them for passing this passion on to me.
