Over the last several months, the act of strolling around our blocks, backyards, and neighborhoods became a necessity. For those of us who adhered to stay-at-home orders and quarantines, these daily walks were vital to our sanity. The act of wandering has new meaning now, largely defined as a meditative and hopeful experience to keep us moving forward even if the road ahead is rocky and unclear.
Cecilie Bahnsen wandered a lot through quarantine, not only in her hometown of Copenhagen but also in her imagination. When she began to think about the direction for her spring 2021 collection, she visualized a woman on a journey across a natural landscape. She also looked to photographs by the 1970s artist Hashimoto Shoko, who was part of a group called Goze that included a blind troupe of musicians who traveled and played throughout Japan.
Bahnsen cited a famous Danish painting by the artist P.S. Krøyer as well, which depicts women walking on the beach in the town of Skagen. Her designs this season are indeed fanciful: dreamy wandering clothes for women gliding through the current limbo state of the world. Bahnsen, with her billowy textured silhouettes, acknowledges that beauty can lift our spirits up and push us forward during dark times. That optimism was illuminated in some of her newer pieces, like a soft, sheer green 3D sequined dress and hot pink knitwear layered over organza frocks. Everything she made this season was designed to be moved in. The beads and sequins, she said, were placed to make subtle sounds and shine in the wind and sunlight. Bahnsen also added to the mix practical sweaters and a classic raincoat, which she created in her second collaboration with the British outerwear brand Mackintosh. These clothes would most definitely turn heads if they were worn on a typical weekday stroll.
