There has always been a childlike quality to Cecilie Bahnsen’s designs. Despite her elevated techniques, the pieces are typically fanciful and soft, like they were dreamed up inside some luxurious dress-up box. The designer loves elements like pouf sleeves, a tie-back, peplums, and dramatically full skirts. The shapes and silhouettes are alluring, even in their repetition. For Spring, she tweaked her girly aesthetic just slightly by adding a few designs that fit more closely to the body than her usual flouncy separates. The best included a subtle flutter-sleeve day dress in a light white cotton and a pair of sheer frocks with tight bodices.
Bahnsen smartly opted not to use black this season, which she often favors, and stayed away from velvets and heavy bow embellishments, though texture was still present. The palette mixed white with sweet blue and green floral embroideries. Pretty really is the right word to use when discussing Bahnsen’s work. In a fashion world that continues to applaud all things ugly-chic, it’s satisfying to see a collection that celebrates femininity in the most magical of ways (the outliers being the pearl-decorated Suicoke sandals that nodded at Dadcore). There’s no irony or pretense here, just well crafted garments. It’s worth coming back to the dress-up box every season.
