Sleek animal print, hand-crafted details and unexpected colour combinations – this is By Malene Birger’s pre-spring 2025 collection. “With unpredictable seasons and fluctuating temperatures, I wanted this collection to feel simple, uncomplicated and light. I focussed on adaptable styles that can be layered up or down, as well as feminine touches and easy shapes, hand-made elements, bohemian details and rich colours. And I have a taste for animal print again, given a sophisticated spin for a modern, composed woman,” says creative director Maja Dixdotter.

Portail is always more than happy to dig even deeper – so, we asked Maja few questions about the collection.

Last season you were inspired by a perfume you discovered in New York. Where did you begin for pre-spring 2025?

I wanted pre-spring 2025 to feel very simple and uncomplicated, with a focus on lightness. I spent a lot of time in Paris earlier in the year speaking to buyers and discussing how unpredictable weather is making seasonality such a difficult thing to nail these days. Even in Scandinavia, which is typically very cold in winter, we will have mild days in February and snow storms in April. With temperatures fluctuating all over the world, our customer needs their wardrobe to be adaptable and versatile, with lighter pieces that can be layered up or down. I also focused on feminine touches and easy shapes, hand-made elements, fun prints, unexpected details and rich colours.

Tell us about the colour palette and signature textures?

I tried to think about colour along the same lines as fabric weight – they needed to feel versatile. Festive for the winter period, but also fresh enough for warmer weather. I got very excited about the new colour combination of buttery yellow and caramel with a pop of tomato red. There’s a great silk monogrammed scarf that sums up the feeling. And I felt like experimenting with animal print – leopard, zebra, crocodile-embossed leather – in a way that would feel super sophisticated and subtle.

What kind of materials were on your fabric swatch board?

I wanted to capture unexpected combinations when it came to texture: slippery satin and crafted Thai silk, paired with textured wools, fluffy viscose, faux fur and leather. I also wanted that feeling of pieces that had been lovingly crafted by hand. Some of my personal highlights include a beautiful Thai silk dress with handmade flower appliqués, a loose-knit poncho with handwoven pompoms, and a leather jacket with whip-stitched trims.

 

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On that note, what are some of the collection’s key pieces?

Key pieces are easy to wear and quite straightforward. The leopard-print maxi coat is a hero – something about leopard just feels right again. The mohair cardigan-coat is very cosy and cut like a morning robe, so you can layer up for the coldest days. The bouclé-wool poncho I mentioned is similarly versatile, a cute layer you can slip on and off. For evening, the off- the-shoulder zebra jacquard dress is really cool – it’s in a woven viscose knit that supports the body. I love the tomato-red maxi kimono dress, it’s very slinky and wafts as you walk. And in accessories, the velvet ballerina with a monogrammed toe is a fun new style.

What about the one piece you personally can’t wait to wear?

I can’t stop wearing the sample of the double-faced wool blazer. It has a nice detail of several loops to fasten it at the waist. You can either thread the tie through one loop for a clean wrap silhouette, or pull it through multiple loops to create a ruched effect. Clean or decorative, depending on your mood. And I’m so happy we’ve re-released the fluffy Tiana sandals in a new black colourway, as I wear the beige ones all the time.

Re-working past-season styles and building timeless wardrobe foundations is a key part of By Malene Birger’s sustainable strategy – can you unpack that a little further?

We have targets we want to hit when it comes to more sustainable fibres and we’re always looking at fabric innovations. But a sustainable mindset is also important at a design level, with pieces that you can wear in lots of different ways for many years to come. For pre-spring 2025, we tried to include re-runs of existing shapes and silhouettes and rework them with more creative fabric choices. This is partly so that customers can always find the pieces they love and that fit them every season, but also because it cuts down on the sampling process which can be wasteful. I also like to add details that allow pieces to feel more versatile, such as the double-faced wool blazer that can be tied in different ways. More than anything I want the collections to be concise, with a small edit of newness that complements rather than overwhelms our existing By Malene Birger wardrobe.

Discover the collection in the gallery above. In Tallinn you can find By Malene Birger’s collections at Kaubamaja department store.

Täna tabas moemaailma suur kaotus. Giorgio Armani – omanimelise moemaja asutaja, disainer ja tegevjuht – on lahkunud 91-aastaselt. Teate kohaselt lahkus legendaarne moelooja – Il Signor Armani, nagu töötajad ja koostööpartnerid teda austavalt kutsusid – rahus, ümbritsetuna oma lähedastest.

Giorgio Armani sündis 1934. aastal Põhja-Itaalia linnas Piacenzas. Alguses suundus ta Milano Ülikooli õppima meditsiini, kuid katkestas õpingud kolme aasta järel ja liitus armeega. Pärast teenistust otsis ta uut teed – alustades vaateakende kujundajana ja jõudes lõpuks 1975. aastal omaenda moemaja rajamiseni.

Armani oli see, kes tõi ülikonnamoodi revolutsioonilise pehmuse ja vabaduse, muutes rangest vormist voolava poeesia. Tema käekiri oli alati seotud lihtsuse, selguse ja vaoshoitud elegantsiga – ta mõistis, et tõeline enesekindlus ei vaja liigset dekoratiivsust.

2025. aasta tähistas mitut olulist verstaposti Armani moemaja loos: märtsis esitles bränd oma 50. juubelikollektsiooni “Radici”, jaanuaris tähistati ka Armani Privé moeliini 20. aastapäeva. Just seal sulges disainer etenduse ise, astudes lavale käsikäes viimase modelliga. Tänavu juunis jäi ta aga esimest korda poole sajandi jooksul oma moemaja etenduselt kõrvale, taastudes toona avalikkusele teadmata tervisemuredest.

Moemaailmas on vähe nimesid, mis tekitavad samasugust aukartust nagu Anna Wintour. Legendaarne peatoimetaja on kujundanud üle kolme aastakümne Ameerika Vogue’i suunda, muutudes ise elavaks sümboliks. Pole ime, et hetk, mil Condé Nast teatas Wintouri ametist lahkumisest, tekitas moeringkondades elevust ja spekulatsioone: kes küll võiks astuda tema kingadesse?

Nüüd on vastus teada: Chloe Malle. Vogue’i endine digitaalne toimetaja ja Vogue.com-i juht asub ametisse uue tiitliga head of editorial content. Traditsiooniline peatoimetaja amet on seeläbi küll ajalooraamatusse kirjutatud, kuid positsiooni ennast võib pidada Wintouri mantlipärija omaks.

Kellega tegu? Chloe Malle liitus Vogue’iga 2011. aastal toimetajana ning on aastatega käinud läbi pea igas toimetuse nurgas, liikudes printmeediast digikanalite, video, audio ja sotsiaalmeedia juurde. Ta on loonud koos kolleegidega ka populaarse taskuhäälingu “The Run-Through with Vogue”. Tema sulest on ilmunud lugusid, mis ulatuvad moe ja ilu kõrval ka poliitika, tervise ja elustiili teemadeni, ning lisaks on ta olnud mitmete Vogue’i raamatute toimetaja.

Muide, tema taust on sama kõnekas kui töö: Chloe on prantsuse filmirežissööri Louis Malle’i ja Ameerika näitlejanna Candice Bergeni tütar. Viimane kehastas “Sex and the City” seriaalis justnimelt Vogue’i toimetajat – milline elu ja fiktsiooni ootamatu kokkupuutepunkt.

Anna Wintour ise aga kusagile ei kao. Ta jätkab Condé Nasti chief content officer’i ja globaalsete väljaannete loovjuhina, jäädes endiselt Vogue’i ja teiste mainekate tiitlite – Vanity Fair, GQ, Architectural Digest – mõjukaimaks suunajaks.