Maja Dixdotter has revamped By Malene Birger with amazing speed, aligning the brand with cool bohemian minimalism. Without abandoning that vibe, there were some experimental undercurrents in her pre-fall collection that place Dixdotter in dialogue with some new directions (trend is too strong a word) in fashion.
“Sometimes it’s nice to work super simple,” the designer said on a call. One of the ways she did that was to take a rectangular length of fabric and drape it to cascade down the back, suspended only by slender silken spaghetti straps. (For a more modest look, the streamers can be wrapped and tied around the body.) This called to mind the sort of elemental, almost “no-sew” approach seen in some of the spring collections (see Ashyln and Maryam Nassir Zadeh), where the designers interfered as little as possible with the textile, challenging themselves to work around existing vintage materials or to create garments with one seam.
The impulse to roam is part of Dixdotter’s brand of bohemianism, and this season she applied slits in the shape of arches to easy ensembles with a vaguely Moroccan air. A golden-colored wide plissé set with button details brought to mind the organic beauty of Romeo Gigli’s work without being referential. The sturdy silvery fabric used on a kimono-style coat projected an air of serenity, as did the “harmonious colors” she used throughout the collection.
