Things were lighter than last season at today’s By Malene Birger show. Instead of a near-pitch-black room with stadium seating, there was light streaming in through windows; pretty blooms in cute plastic bags; a variety of infused waters; and an actual runway, as opposed to the giant movie screen that served as the viewing mechanism for Fall 2018. That was head designer Mathilde Torp Mader’s debut for the Danish fashion brand, and, unfortunately, watching it on a big plasma, it was difficult to connect with her designs. For Spring 2019, Mader stepped it up and had models actually wearing the clothes, which helped with being able to grasp her skill level. And they were good clothes too, namely the long-sleeve rib-knit dresses in brown and navy with stitch detailing at the neck and wrists and loosely tied lacing at the sides. The high-waist skirt with mixed lacing and button detailing (inspired by a vintage burlesque dancer’s corset Mader found at a market) was of note, as was a Victorian-inspired ruched top and skinny pants set.
Mader also dove into the By Malene Birger archives to source the collection’s main print: a black-and-white abstract doodle of a voluptuous naked woman in several seductive poses. It was a drawing made originally by Malene Birger herself, and Mader said that she incorporated it to make “the old new again.” That notion applied not only to the sexy-lady motifs but also to the corset detailing on the skirts, as well as a cut-out stretch fabric used for versatile dresses and tops that she borrowed from an old pair of Punk-era stockings. It was in these “old is new” pieces that Mader really showed her design chops. The three sequined looks that closed the show, on the other hand, seemed a little too “party girl” or Instagram influencer–friendly for the otherwise streamlined collection. Mader is a solid designer and she doesn’t need any smoke and mirrors (or sequins) to make it fresh.
