It felt like spring on the streets of Paris and at Cecile Bahnsen’s blooming, fall show, Untitled Flowers. The name was borrowed from a 2020 silver and black drawing by Danish artist Tal R, which decorated the set and the show notes. A live guitar performance by Yuki Tsujii had a spontaneity that mirrored that of the drawing, which Bahnsen described as having a graffiti-like scratchiness. “It was something so feminine, but so rough at the same time,” she said, “and I think there is this femininity and something dark and unhinged in this collection; it’s like a quiet rebellion.”
Unhinged might be overstating things, as prettiness prevailed as usual chez Bahnsen, but there was a sense of giddy abandon in the flirtatious up-and-down motion of bustle-back skirts composed of petal-like layers of fabric, and in the weightless airiness of short, horsehair hoop skirts. This collection was largely a study of opposites; the “release” of those looks was balanced by the control allowed by lacing and belting. Inspired by the running vests she sees being worn by joggers in Copenhagen, Bahnsen created a kind of gilet/corset hybrid. The gentle binding of the torso elongated the silhouette so that skirts petalled out from lower waists. This was an effective, and much needed, evolution of the silhouette. Similarly attractive were narrow to the knee or just above the ankle skirts shown with streamered tops. Think of them as the stems to the more voluminous petaled designs.
Bahnsen has been countering the sweetness of her designs with sporty elements for some time now. Her collaboration with Asics continues apace; for fall there were also pieces developed in partnership with The North Face. These included puffers that could be worn suspended from shoulder straps and utilitarian backpacks freckled with floral appliqués. An anorak pocket added to a couture-like cut floral material paired with shorts felt fresh. Backstage, Bahnsen referred to “the female importance of creating for women,” but the repetitive babydoll looks that were styled with knee socks had a schoolgirl cuteness rather than a sense of maturity. I kept wondering what a glorious gray wool hand-cut broderie Anglaise would look like if it were used for something like a pencil skirt, a staple that you could work into your wardrobe.
As power dressing comes back into play, even jokingly—the number of models wearing glasses to give an appearance of seriousness and corporate competence this season is unnerving—Bahnsen’s celebration of unabashed femininity feels especially important. While it is possible to be both pretty and smart, the flow of time is unstoppable (though there are moments, sometimes at a Bahnsen show, where time seems suspended). Cycles of life exist in nature and fashion and the designer sees a connection between the short-lived full bloom of a flower to the fleeting magic of a fashion show, “10 minutes where everything comes together before it shifts again. This show,” wrote Bahnsen, “is dedicated to that moment, to the quiet poetry of change.”
