It might be true that there is nothing new under the sun, but it is undeniable that nostalgia has a stranglehold on fashion, and culture generally. In this type of environment the focus falls on “the spin” or visual “hot takes” on heritage. This season Anne Sofie Madsen wanted to make a change, to look forward not back, and imagine what could be. Hence the reworked Nike T-shirts (she also created a shoe with the sports brand) that read: “The New Desire: The Future Feels Good on You.” Boy, did it look amazing, too.
Like the space, the collection was infused with lightness; at the same time ethereality merged with physicality. It was as if Degas dancers collided with gym rats. By unexpectedly layering a sheath of brilliantly dyed and wafty chiffon over the “Copenhagen girl” uniform of slouchy pants and a tee, Madsen summoned earth angels. Cheekier was the silver star placed front and center on a panty that was visible through a sporty and feminine ensemble. In a similar vein, lingerie straps were added to tailored pieces.
One would never guess that all of this sensuousness was based on geometry, specifically the square, which, when rotated 45 degrees, starts to fall into languorous drapes. “We wanted to work with the square in an extravagant way,” Madsen commented. “Somehow it doesn’t refer to the past, [yet it is] of course something that refers to some of the first garments that were invented, so you could say it’s like a primitive way of working with pattern cutting.”
Also primal were the creature-like floral pieces that were created in response to Madsen’s desire “to create an otherworldly, non-existing plant,” which was partly in response to a book the designer is reading to her son, Den Fantastiske Bus (The Fantastic Bus), by Jakob Martin Strid. The characters in the story, Madsen explained, go on a journey to find “a magical plant called a saffron lily [which] can heal the world and heal nature.”
When Madsen revived her long dormant brand a few years ago it was not with a business-as-usual attempt. Fueled by the desire to indulge in handicraft, she is seeking a new way forward in fashion at the same time that she is hoping for a better world. Her choice to work with squares, to explore what might be possible within the parameters of four straight lines (i.e. to focus on space and shape), was an affirmation of presentness. And what Madsen presented is how women want to look in the here and now.