Danish designer Jesper Høvring grew up in Copenhagen and was always interested in clothes, particularly those that made a statement. He trained as a tailor and began designing couture in his own shop in 1999. His philosophy is to work in the classic tradition of Dior and Balenciaga but to pull something modern and unexpected into his designs. A self-described perfectionist regarding tailoring, his trademarks are matte silk, draping, and the unexpected appearance of a bit of lace.
On his website, you can see his design process in action.
The meeting of Crown Princess Mary and Høvring isn’t documented. He is very discreet about his relationship with his famous clients. However, the Crown Princess and designer both hit the scene at about the same time, and since then, Mary has chosen Høvring designs for some of the highest-profile events she attends.
2010 Crown Princess Victoria’s Wedding
The “unexpected lace” made an appearance in this gown, on the sleeves. The watery green gown featured a broad waistband – perfect for pinning all those stars – and a flowing skirt.
2011 Starry Starry Night Dinner
The designer showed that he wasn’t wedded to his original vision. When this gown reappeared a year later, the lace detail was gone. The top of the gown was completely re-designed. It was now a one-sleeved dress with draping flowing from the shoulder.
2013 New Year’s Levees
This orange number performed surprisingly well in our “Fifty for the Fiftieth” contest that we ran this year. It features a complicated draping arrangement and two textures and tones of orange on the skirt.
2013 King Willem-Alexander’s Inauguration
This dress boasts sheer long sleeves, a draped top (of course!!), and a tiered skirt featuring ruffles.
2014 Bambi Awards
The “mike drop” dress – no further description needed.
2016 New Year’s Levees
The dress features another example of the Hovring adaptability since it reappeared two years later with a velvet bodice that flowed into a train. Fans of the original were relieved to see it was not altered permanently, though, thanks to our Baguette Johanna’s documentation from the Mary exhibit.
These aren’t all Hovrings designs for the princess, but we’ll leave some for you to add to the comments – that’s half the fun around here.
