In just a few seasons, Cecilie Bahnsen has carved out a fine space for herself in the fashion industry with clothes that are voluminous and pretty. She has been smart not to change up her signature aesthetic too much, only making slight tweaks to garments like the full-skirted baby doll dresses that she’s turned into core sellers for her burgeoning brand.
This season, showing in the gallery space where she presented her Spring 2018 collection, Bahnsen made great use of rich black velvet and quilting for her favorite peplum tops. There were drama-filled dresses with the addition of piping, and heavier knitwear worn with another one of her favorites, a fil coupe skirt. Her sheer items were layered over cotton T-shirts and shorts, which gave them a sense of cool tomboyishness not necessarily associated with the Bahnsen DNA. Fresh hints of sexiness came by way of open-back dresses tied with wisp-thin strings.
The most thrilling pieces in today’s lineup were the ones that showed the designer breaking from her own traditions. Bahnsen gave a baggy boilersuit balloon sleeves and a loosely tied bow. She also showed bags for the first time—chic little jacquard drawstring pouches with velvet ribbons worn as backpacks and bum bags. It felt like she was dipping her toe into new territory, which made for a feeling of anticipation. The designer is one of the most talented in Copenhagen right now, and though her slow-and-steady approach is clever, her Fall 2018 collection indicated that perhaps we’ll be seeing expansion sooner rather than later. That’s a nice prospect.
