Cecilie Bahnsen's path to this collection ran through two very different studios. Born just outside Copenhagen, she interned then worked as a print designer for John Galliano before earning her MA at the Royal College of Art and joining Erdem as a design assistant. She took that combination of Paris theatricality and London precision home to Copenhagen in 2015 and built her own label around it. The dresses are where that training is most visible. The Floria cloque midi dress and the CBVilma floral jacquard maxi dress both lean into the volume and structured texture she is known for, built from fabrics her studio develops in house with mills in Italy and Switzerland.

The CBDevin embroidered rosette organza midi dress and the CBDuana papillon matelasse maxi dress push the volume further still. None of them read as costume, exactly, but they are not quiet either. That tension is the whole point.

The tops and jackets are the more practical half of the range, though practical is relative here. The CBFeilan knotted embroidered shell bomber jacket and the Birdie embellished padded shell bomber jacket keep the sculptural instinct from the dresses but put it into a shape you can actually move in day to day. The Firall brushed mohair and silk blend sweater and the Vilde gathered cotton stretch jersey T-shirt are the plainest pieces in the whole edit, the ones built to sit underneath everything else.

The CBFillo embroidered knitted ramie blouse splits the difference, textured enough to stand alone but simple enough to layer under a jacket.

The skirts carry the same structured volume as the dresses but in a smaller, easier dose. The Fosia organza midi skirt and the CBGus embroidered organza maxi skirt both hold their shape rather than falling flat, which is the fabric development talking as much as the cut. The CBFiella embroidered scalloped taffeta midi skirt adds a decorative edge without losing that same architecture.

I would pair any of these with the plainest top in the edit, because the skirt is already doing enough work on its own.

Cecilie Bahnsen is not a label to buy piece by piece without a plan, because the volume and texture compound fast when you stack more than one statement item. I would start with a single dress, the Floria cloque midi or the CBVilma jacquard maxi, and let it be the only structured thing in the outfit. The tops, especially the Vilde jersey T-shirt, are the easiest entry point if a full dress feels like too much commitment. I would skip buying a skirt and a top from the more embellished end at the same time, since the two fight for attention rather than working together. This is a label for someone who wants to feel dressed up without looking like they tried too hard, and it rewards patience more than a single big purchase.