For her latest collection, Cecilie Bahnsen’s show was less a runway than a rehearsal.
Held inside a youth sports center, dancers from Myrto Georgiadi’s Marseille-based collective Oráma Atelier moved through the room stretching, twirling, jumping and finishing with a choreographed routine.
It was a clever way to demonstrate the premise behind Bahnsen’s collection, titled “Practice.” The dresses were shown on a mix of models and the dancers, which made it all the more intriguing as one could see a variety of body types and witness the clothes in motion.
The Danish designer has known Georgiadi for several years, and the two developed the project in tandem, with the choreography informing the collection and vice versa. Oráma dancers visited the studio for fittings, allowing the moves and garment construction to evolve together.
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Bahnsen’s signature codes of candy-colored pastel dresses, airy volumes and delicate blossom textures were all there, but this season they felt less precious. Bias-cut silk satin dresses skimmed the body before releasing into movement with ruching at the waist, while technical organzas and perforated embroideries created an airy lightness on voluminous skirts, dresses and bustles.
Elsewhere, fleece layers, recycled nylon jackets and silk puffers tied around the shoulders like a cape added an IRL wearability. Cord upcycled from vintage The North Face backpacks threaded across dress fronts as details, adding a ruggedness to contrast to her romantic design language.
For a brand often associated with a kind of hyper-delicate femininity, the performance added welcome perspective of how this can work for the modern woman. Bahnsen’s universe remains undeniably pretty, but here it felt more dynamic and lived-in.
