The Copenhagen blouse is a saucy top that leaves little to the imagination… SAMANTHA REA puts eight to the test and gives her verdict

DUK Editor TeamSeptember 15, 2024

‘Mind the gap!’ No, I’m not on the London Underground, I’m trying on a top that’s rather open-fronted.

Known as a ‘Copenhagen blouse’ it ties at the front, in a row of bows. However, it’s impossible to make the fabric fully meet, in the way a zip-front or a button-up blouse would.

Instead, it reveals an alley of flesh from my collar bone to my navel – via my cleavage.

So who would wear this Copenhagen blouse? Well, you may imagine it was custom made for the costume department of an obscure Danish sex show, but actually it’s all over the UK high street, and mainstream brands offering a version of this ‘front-tie’ blouse include H&M, New Look, Warehouse, Stradivarius, ASOS and Anthropologie.

Given that it’s pretty much impossible to wear with a bra, it’s astonishing that such an impractical style is so popular. So what happened?

Known as a ‘Copenhagen blouse’ the top ties at the front, in a row of bows. Pictured, Samantha trying on a selection

It all started with one blouse by the clothing brand Ganni which launched in Denmark in 2000.

By 2016 Ganni had conquered the UK, having been snapped up by stockists including Net-a-Porter, Selfridges and Liberty.

Fast forward to 2024 and Ganni has been seen on celebrities including Beyonce, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Alexa Chung, Rose Byrne, Selena Gomez, Dakota Johnson, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

The brand is now sold in Harrods and Harvey Nichols, and the hashtag #GanniGirls has 113,000 posts on Instagram.

It’s likely then that this heavyweight celebrity and social media influence is the force behind Ganni’s Copenhagen blouse going viral – and spawning a tsunami of look-a-like versions on the high street.

But is anyone actually buying it? It might look amazing on a model in a magazine, but the average British woman is a size 16 with a 36DD bust.

So what does this typical high street shopper think about a style that involves flashing their unsupported boobs and belly?

Reading fashion features about this tricky trend, I checked out some of the reader comments, to gauge the reaction.

‘It looks like an organic soap shop assistant’s overall’ said one.

Samantha says the Copenhagen blouse it reveals an alley of flesh from her collar bone to her navel – her my cleavage

‘Good Lord, you’d have to be insane to wear these things, which is just as well since it looks like a straitjacket,’ said another, who also likened the row of bows to a bondage outfit.

‘At its best it looks like a bed jacket – something to throw around your shoulders while reading,’ declared another, while someone else asked: ‘Is anyone else disturbed by women wearing clothes that only a five year old would like?’

‘The item is ugly, unflattering and an invitation to unwanted attention’ said one, while another described the style as: ‘An invitation to sexual harassment.’

Other comments included:

‘It looks like an oversized child’s blouse’
‘Puff sleeves shouldn’t be seen on any female above the age of six’
‘Looks as if it’s on back to front’
‘Not a good look for anyone with a large chest’
‘You would need to be wary of the gaps in public’

Perhaps predominantly, there was widespread concern about the puff sleeves making it difficult to get a cardigan on over it.

So there was certainly a lot of fearmongering about this Danish fashion delicacy – but had any of those commenting tried on a Copenhagen blouse themselves?

Perhaps not! And so, armed with optimism that all this worry would turn out to be unwarranted, I decided to try out a selection of Copenhagen blouses for myself. Here’s how I got on…

New Look Cream Polka Dot Ruffle Tie Front Blouse

Samantha is wearing the New Look Cream Polka Dot Ruffle Tie Front Blouse as the design has taken over the High Street

Samantha – pictured – says the New Look blouse would ‘leave you topless in Tesco’ with just two tugs

COST: £31.99

This cream coloured blouse with grey polka dots, ties at the front with two thin bows. It’s a loose blouse with long loose sleeves, elasticated wrists and a ruffle, that flares slightly from the waist.

Overall it brings to mind Stevie Nicks in her Fleetwood Mac heyday, or Kate Bush warbling about Wuthering Heights.

VERDICT: Just two quick tugs could leave you topless in Tesco. Unless you’re planning to pick up a man with your mangoes, wear it with a vest.

SHEIN Striped Print Tie Front Puff Sleeve Peplum Blouse

Samantha is wearing the SHEIN Striped Print Tie Front Puff Sleeve Peplum Blouse – and had mixed feelings about it

Samantha says the pink SHEIN blouse makes it look as though she is pregnant from certain angles

COST: £7.99

Like a very pretty stick of rock, this pink and white striped blouse has elbow length puff sleeves, a peplum flare and three front ties.

Unfortunately, the peplum flare gives the impression that my stomach is as prominent as my bust, so from certain angles I look pregnant or very recently post-partum.

VERDICT: This top is so pretty on the hanger. However, on me, braless, it passes for an easy access breast-feeding blouse and I fear I may be followed around by men with a fetish for lactating ladies.

KITRI Carmel Pistachio Pointelle Knit Cardigan

Samantha is wearing the KITRI Carmel Pistachio Pointelle Knit Cardigan – which has buttons rather than ties

Samantha says the green KITRI cardigan appears to be demure but is actually saucy upon closer inspection

COST: £145

This pretty green cardigan has a white trim and a round neck. Unlike the other Copenhagen style tops, it fastens with pearl-look buttons, rather than bows. However, the ‘gap’ effect is similar because the buttons go through loops that extend beyond the fabric, so the two sides of the cardigan don’t quite meet.

In addition to the exposed strip of flesh at the front, the pointelle knit (ie the tiny holes that are part of the pattern) means that nipples may be visible.

VERDICT: A seemingly demure 1950s style cardigan that on closer inspection is surprisingly saucy. Wear it with a vest or risk being marched out of M&S for indecent exposure.

PrettyLittleThing Black Puff Sleeve Bow Tie Top

Samantha, pictured, is wearing the PrettyLittleThing Black Puff Sleeve Bow Tie Top – but says it was a touch too small on her

Samantha says it’s best to wear the PrettyLittleThing black top with a bra, or a vest underneath it

COST: £10

I loved the look of this black puff sleeved blouse with three thick bows. However, when I tried it on, I found it was slightly too small for me. Unable to pull the two sides close together, I was left revealing a vast expanse of bare chest at boob level.

VERDICT: Check that you’ve bought the right size, and even if you have, you’re probably still best with a vest. Unless, of course, you want to attract attention to your cleavage. In which case, wear it to parties and chortle inside while other women give you evils.

SHEIN Plaid Contrast Color Bow Tie Loose Puff Sleeve

Samantha is wearing the SHEIN Plaid Contrast Color Bow Tie Loose Puff Sleeve – and says it is ‘slightly gaped’

Samantha says the SHEIN top slightly gaped, and from certain angles offered an unobstructed view of her breasts

COST: £3.99

A black and white gingham blouse, with puff sleeves, a peplum flare and three thin bows. Despite seeming roomy, it somehow slightly gaped, and from certain angles it offered an unobstructed view of my breasts.

VERDICT: If you’re aiming for sex in the stationary cupboard with your office crush, and your other, more subtle, hints have gone unheeded, pull out the big guns by wearing this to work with nothing underneath. Would probably also work well for pay rise meetings and disciplinaries.

KITRI Evie Ivory Crochet Knit Cardigan

Samantha is wearing the KITRI Evie Ivory Crochet Knit Cardigan which she says definitely demanded a bra

Samantha says wearing the KITRI Evie cardigan without a bra makes her feel like a Free the Nipple campaigner cosplaying a 1970s librarian

COST: £60

A cream coloured crochet knit cardigan with a large collar and a turquoise trim, it ties at the front with three thin bows. Wearing this without a bra, I feel like a Free the Nipple campaigner cosplaying a 1970s librarian who indulges in ‘free love’ behind the book shelves.

VERDICT: Worried about library closures? Wear this, braless, when you campaign to keep your local library open, for a 600% increase in signatures from men whose interest in reading extends to thumbing through the Viz annual they keep by the toilet.

PrettyLittleThing Pink Gingham Tie Front Puff Sleeve Blouse

Samantha is wearing the PrettyLittleThing Pink Gingham Tie Front Puff Sleeve Blouse – which she said had a 50s charm to it

Samantha says thankfully the pink PrettyLittleThing blouse has no peplum so she could tuck it in

COST: £20

This peach and white gingham blouse has puff sleeves and three thick bows. Thankfully there is no peplum, so I am actually able to tuck it in, revealing that I do indeed possess a waist rather than a baby bump.

When I post a behind-the-scenes pic on on social media, someone writes: ‘You look like you’ve baked an apple pie and just let it cool on the windowsill and have a martini made for your husband when he gets in from working at an ad company.’

I love the idea of swanning about at home sipping martinis while my husband’s working, so I resolve to post this picture on my dating profile (#manifesting).

VERDICT: Indulge your husband’s Don Draper fantasies by wearing this to his office when you’re meeting him for lunch. Wait until he clocks that you’re not wearing a bra, then whisper that you haven’t got any knickers on either. Now steer him towards Tiffany’s while he’s feeling generous.

George at ASDA: Blue Striped Tie Front Puff Sleeve Blouse

Samantha is wearing the George at ASDA: Blue Striped Tie Front Puff Sleeve Blouse – which can be worn with a bra

Samantha says the Asda blouse is the one that anyone can wear ‘without their boobs spilling out’

COST: £16

This loose fitting blue blouse has thin black and white stripes and elbow length puff sleeves. It ties at the front with three slim bows and with no peplum, it looks great tucked into a waist band.

Most significantly it has a panel of fabric behind the bows. This means that – thank the Lord! – the blouse can be worn with a bra, like any normal blouse, as there’s no alley of flesh on show.

VERDICT: Winner! The Copenhagen blouse that anyone can wear without worrying about their boobs spilling out.