Cecilie Bahnsen is embracing change. For Spring 2020 she transferred her runway show from the kind of stark, concrete gallery space she usually favors to a long pier near Copenhagen’s floating neighborhood of houseboats. Since her namesake label debuted in 2015, Bahnsen has become known for her romantic, voluminous dress silhouettes. But now, as her popularity has grown and she’s become Copenhagen’s most decorated and recognized designer, Bahnsen is breaking from her own mold.
This season’s hand-tied ostrich-feather minidresses in white, black, and pink were stunning on the pier, fluttering and giving off an aura that sent showgoers (and their Instagram feeds) into varying states of oohs and ahhs. Bahnsen’s use of texture was also better to witness in the fresh air and natural light, especially the silk-organza dresses, which were designed with an elastic smocking technique that rendered them spongy and clingy but still ethereal. Bahnsen showed more fitted silhouettes than ever before—she isn’t a one-note designer.
Most compelling in her striving for newness was her new suiting. Bahnsen put her own spin on classic tailoring by creating a sheer white blazer and trouser from a triple-woven jacquard fabric. She also added a sheer organza sleeveless dress over a simple black suit, melding her dreamy sensibility with more structured pieces. Spring 2020 will open more doors for this talented young star because she pushed herself forward and let her vision run free.
