how to reverse engineer a cecilie bahnsen outfit
bay area girls are one step ahead, because we know how to put an puffer jacket to WORK.
If there are a handful of aspirational contemporary designers for the Molehill reader, Cecilie Bahnsen is definitely on that list.
The brand comes up often in the chat, usually related to a question about cute-but-functional footwear and non-conventional bridal outfits.
Cecilie Bahnsen usually gets lumped in aesthetically with other designers who make unapologetically voluminous frilly, tulle-y, ruffle-y confectionwear—like Simone Rocha, Sandy Liang, and Molly Goddard.
But what differentiates the brand from its peers, in my opinion, is that it is consistently the gorpiest of its frou frou fusion genre. They’re not afraid of working with the REI-est puffer jackets and fleece zips; past collabs include ASICS, North Face, and Suicoke. And yeah, I know Sandy Liang has worked with Salomon, but her brand identity feels a little more fluid, more commercial (not a bad thing). Cecilie Bahnsen feels more conceptually specific.
And being from the Bay Area, I suppose I’m primed to love her stuff because gorp is one of our dominant sartorial languages. This past spring, I was looking at photos of the FW26 collection and was bewitched by this look:
I mean, this woman is deeply familiar.
Beyond the obvious ballet styling, I recognize her as your garden variety outdoorsy Bay Area girl. I could find her at Dogpatch Boulders or Tilden Park or eating a burrito on the beach in a well-worn Patagonia fleece. That’s the genius of Cecilie Bahnsen: taking the most pedestrian and relatable building blocks in a Bay Area wardrobe and embellishing them with pink organza frippery. No wonder me and my friends drool over everything she makes!
I present: how to dress like a Cecilie Bahnsen girl, through mostly secondhand pieces. We are going to focus on these four FW26 looks.
Paid readers get access to all four look breakdowns, plus links to 20 secondhand pieces under $200 that belong in the Cecilie Bahnsen universe.
Look 1
Starting with the most “me” look, because I love wearing green and pink, and I love visible blush. How I’d recreate this outfit through mostly secondhand pieces:
You probably already have a fleece like this. Or your dad has one you can steal next time you visit home. If you care to color match, I’ve come across some celeraic beauties from secondhand L.L. Bean.
Ok I’m gonna venture and say most of us like the tutu mini in theory but not so much for realistic street wear. Ignore me if I’m wrong. But a wearable solution to this is layering a pink ballet-style wrap miniskirt over white silk pj shorts.
Legwear: tbh pink tights and gray legwarmers with the shorts AND the skirt feel overstimulating to me. I’d just do gray merino knee socks and nix the tights.
Finish with a bedazzled sport pack, like this crunchy little pink Keen! Buy these sheer floral appliques and make a craft day out of the weekend.
The shoes look a lot like the silver Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66’s, but might I suggest the mary jane ballet flat version.
Finish with extra rosy cheeks. I would use my “Bright Watermelon” shade from Saie.
Look 2
This stood out as a favorite because I love a gray knit with sheer pink element. There is a softness to this combination. Here’s what the under-layer looks like:
Outside of the secondhand pieces I’d source for the outfit, I also found a dead ringer for the base layer tank top/leotard and a pair of pink metallic sporty shoes that are now on my wishlist:
**Below the fold: three reverse-engineered look breakdowns, plus 20 secondhand pieces to shop under $200.