BONNETJE CFW AW25’
Copenhagen kicked off its AW25′ season on the 27th of January, and boy, was it one to write home about. Scandinavia’s finest innovators presented their newest collections at the biggest bi-annual fashion week in Northern Europe. All gearing up to present their latest collections suited and booted for fall and winter wardrobes, beckoning international engagement and critical acclaim. Bonnetje was no exception, with the runway taking place on January 27th, its upcoming season’s offerings left much less to the imagination than one may envision from innovative takes on office attire.
Bonnetje takes this concept and instead presents us with a playful narrative of classic “smart” silhouettes as they meet the coattails of romp-worthy OOO activity, we could not get enough. In line with their brand’s creative focus, they “face the sight of all things falling apart with a vision of how beautifully things might reassemble”. The Copenhagen-based brand draws much of its inspiration from the entrails of old suits as they are reimagined into unique, eye-drawing forms.
Their purpose is not only aesthetically notable but based around a reframing of otherwise understood “throwaway culture”. Pushing hard against this – they demand a reimagination of tailorings’ hidden yet sometimes most beautiful attributes, like internal “seams, pockets and lining”. Additionally, the brand is dedicated to blurring the lines between masculine and feminine silhouettes, redefining barriers that tend to shift the focus on who can wear what, and why.
Onlookers were presented with an opportunity most of us only dream of in otherwise standard nine-to-five life. We’re all familiar, mini-fridges and a/c units droning in the background of perfectly geometric, perfectly greige cubicles. A colour stained in the back of our minds, that most landlords opt for when completing the latest property reno. Heavy shoulder padding, structured black suit jackets, and thick white seam lines became decorative elements on the exteriors of two-piece sets. One of the stand-out pieces of the show was an all-black, backless gown that very sensually dipped below the model’s lower back, paired with long sleeves and flared skirt.
Models were painted with minimalist makeup. Vogue Scandinavia reported that lead makeup artist, Rikke Dengsøe, kept things “intentionally unpolished”. Aiming to create a story of teetering-on-the-edge office sirens, itching to kick off their work pumps and messy up their muted albeit slightly unkempt hairstyling. Adding to a wider focus of universality, the brand intended to keep “complexions transparent” so each model could be on display for their individual features.
Chain pulls repurposed from what I’d imagine to be white folding office shutters were draped over and around necklines, peek-a-boo cutouts appeared where double breasted pockets and tight collars would otherwise be assumed. One of the more editorial looks in the lineup was a reconfigured set of white blinds that had been repurposed into a top and matching miniskirt. Flyaways sashayed as the model sauntered down the runway, which operated as an abandoned office space turned catwalk. Bonnejte’s latest collection encourages us to do away with the split between our work personas and off-the-clock chaos. The collection is playful, malleable, and flips the script along with the stacks of paperwork we’re remembering we should’ve completed before the weekend consumed us…. I guess there’s Monday for that.
Words by Lauren Bulla
Images by Lily Maguire