By Malene Birger Spring 2024 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Since joining By Malene Birger, Maja Dixdotter has successfully steered it in the direction of boho-minimalism. By changing up her process, the designer’s spring lineup moved in a winning new direction. “Every time I start with a new collection, I always try to find the mood and the way I want the woman to feel when she wears the clothes,” Dixdotter. This time around the site of the campaign shoot—Greece—was decided before the collection took form. “That was something new, I could already really picture her and the collection there when I started sketching. It gave me a new angle, and I realized that I never really think of the location when I draw, it’s more about the feeling only.”

Dixdotter’s mental map wasn’t confined by Greece’s borders, rather she traded the eclecticism of the arty wanderer for a Mediterranean vibe, conjuring sun, sand, sea, warm days and cooler nights. There’s no competing with the blues of water and sky, so the palette was pared-back ecru beige, and black, with hints of color—rosé and olive—that could have been pulled off a menu. Woven raffia was used for bags and a hat; fabric fringe and a diamond mesh material with a flower at every cross point built on that feeling of lightness and texture. Different types and weights of linen were also used throughout, as was crispy Pima cotton, like that used for a pajama-striped set. “I think it’s just so nice to have something that is both about vacation, but also staying at home,” Dixdotter said.

While softness and motion predominated, as in Look 13, a white shirt with the cape of the trench styled as a skirt, the designer didn’t neglect clothes for summer in the city. To wit: a knit cardigan suit, a five-button tailored jacket, sheath dresses that can be dressed up or down, and a matching set in black leather. “I was thinking about a very relaxed pace and just easy living in a way, but I still wanted it to feel really chic,” said Dixdotter. “I added the jewelry, but also some pieces that are more fitted and sharp to get this vibe.”

Still the collection tended toward looks that liberate the body. There was a sense of freedom, of not having to stick to a schedule, or color within the lines. A black-and-white striped look, made of flat and hairy yarns to create a fuzzy effect, captured the immediacy and the suggestiveness of the sketch that inspired it. This By Malene Birger collection drew a pretty and inviting picture of a Mediterranean dream.