To emphasize the homecoming and the back-to-roots aspect of By Malene Birger’s return to the runway after six years, creative director Emilie Martinsen-Kønigsfeld invited guests to her parent’s verdant estate outside of the city. There, models walked a gravel path alongside a pond winged with manicured lawns, lush trees, and shrubbery that framed garden sculptures at the golden hour.
Like almost everything else about this show, the timing was deliberate and symbolic. Martinsen-Kønigsfeld, who took her bow with newly appointed head designer Sydney Roark, designed a collection designed to meet women’s needs from day to night. To wit the sun-print, sun-shaped buttons, Caribou’s “Sun” on the soundtrack, and a setting worthy of a sun king. The palette, added Roark, also tracked the passing of the hours, starting with white, warming to golden hues, and darkening to black.
The aesthetic was polished, tasteful—and a bit safe. The idea here was mainly to reintroduce the brand; essentially this return-to-the-runway collection operated in the manner of a greatest hits list. Flying from the back of a high-collared raincoat was a tassel borrowed from resort 2027; ponyskin recalled a collection a few seasons back; backless scarf-like tops dated to the time Maja Dixdotter was designing the collections (2021-2025); and delicate and sparkling mirror embroidery on a floaty evening ensemble referenced the namesake founder’s love of bling as well as Martinsen-Kønigsfeld’s penchant for refined decoration.
If there was a nod to a shimmering see-through dress worn by Kate Moss in the ’90s, the languorous movement of the clothes and the ease and natural glamour with which they were worn was straight from a Copenhagen girl’s playbook. “We are a Danish brand with a lot of history and we want to be back on the calendar here; it’s very important for us,” Martinsen-Kønigsfeld said. “I know Denmark is a small country and market, but we are Danish and we’re proud of it and we should be here.” By Malene Birger is one of the brands making Copenhagen a capital of cool.
Source:
www.vogue.com
