CATWALK| Dans La Vie FEB'13

Images by Christopher Dadey
www.christopherdadey.com

Dans La Vie AW13 Catwalk Show from FASHION SCOUT on Vimeo.

COLLECTION| Dans la Vie FEB'13

The models hit the runway as if going to war in Dans la Vie’s latest collection titled “Invisible Enemy, threat found”. Snake-skin prints and leathers with designer Rira Sugawara’s signature collage prints were the focus of the collection. With full body suits obscuring the face, leaving just the eyes, the silhouette is was stark, yet paradoxically feminine.

Inspired by the hard experience of a cyber-attack, the collection uses belts and exposed zips to create an industrial aesthetic in keeping with the designer’s unique print. Thigh high latex stockings remind the audience that the Dans La Vie girl means business.

Doubled peplum dresses, mini dresses and heavy duty jackets create a juxtaposition between the hard and the soft in a collection that plays with femininity and challenges the attitude of fashion. Looks that show off the glamour and beauty that can be found within this dark theme, can be seen in the stunning backless dress that shines perfectly under the bright lights of the runway.

This season marks Rira Sugawara and her label Dans La Vie’s fourth catwalk showcase in London, with the label already receiving high acclaim across Europe. After studying History of Art at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan Rira gained experience working as a print designer at a French Atelier of which shines through in the talent throughout this collection.

Text by Vanessa Omoregie (@wewearblack)

Images by Hannah Wilson (@xHannahWilsonx)

BACKSTAGE| Dans La Vie FEB'13

Backstage at Dans La Vie, the teams at both our sponsors Toni & Guy and The Body Shop have been hard at work creating a dramatic concept for the catwalk.

The Body Shop's artist, Jo Sugar has been working with a combination of rich bronze and rosy copper autumnal metallics combined with warm contouring on a luminous base, to create two looks. Her key products include The Body Shop Eye Definer in black, Shimmer Waves powder in bronze and the Amethyst and Sage Eye Powders.

Bill Watson from Toni & Guy has created a severe wet look in the shape of set curls and sleek low ponytails, to fit in with the brief which requested the models hair look ‘drenched’ with water.

Words by Brooke McCord (@BrookeMcCord)

Pictures by Lauren Marsh (@laurenalicia24)

ILLUSTRATION| Dans la Vie S/S13

Illustration by Joshua Osborn

CATWALK| Dans la Vie S/S13

Dans La Vie SS13 Catwalk Show from VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT on Vimeo.

Images by Christopher Dadey

COLLECTION| Dans la Vie S/S13

It was a rumbling bass that set the atmosphere of the S/S13 collection of Dans La Vie. Building into a crescendo of electronic music, as soon as the garments emerged, they brought the room to life. In the designer's third catwalk collection, the runway was soon filled with the iconic prints the label has become known for. Aptly named 'Moving Print Bodies', the garments embodied just that. Filled with bodysuits, reptilian skin prints and a diverse mix of materials, the garments were a true combination of feminine clinched-in waists, chequered details and dramatic peplums.

The creative force behind the internationally stocked Dans la Vie is the Tokyo born Rira Sugawara. With her being a graduate of Art and Art History at the Waseda university and growing up in Japan, it's clear how much her background complements what she likes to call her 'Clash Beauty', 'Neo Pop' creations. Having started the brand as a print label in 1999, she's as talented as her designs are bold.

Her aesthetic didn't stop at the clothes. Make-up was feminine and almost feline. The ever-apparent checkered pattern, which was used to “highlight the relationship between the body and the print” covered parts of the model's faces throughout. Hair consisted of long ponytails and shaved sides of the head, which only served in adding to the designer's statement pieces.

Referencing Japanese Gods of wind, thunder and the dragon, the collection let loose with contemporary pieces “where the world transcends all four dimensions”. As the music faded and the Dans La Vie S/S13 collection came to an end, the room felt rather empty without the bold colours and even bolder shapes. With a round of applause and a modest bow from Sugawara, the show was something truly memorable.

Text by Josh Walker VFS Contributor (@josh_walker_)
Images by Ryan Bater

BACKSTAGE| Dans La Vie Spring/ Summer '13

The morning of day one at LFW and the atmosphere is already bustling. Backstage at Dans La Vie, hands and hairpieces flew about the room in Freemason’s Hall as the hair and make up teams began to sculpt to the look for the 11.30 show.

Under the reigns of Toni and Guy’s International Artistic Director, Bill Watson, the hair team produced a strong, sleek look. Hair was tightly plaited down the centre of the head, starting from the forefront and slinking its way right down the backs of the models. Mirroring the vibrant hair seen in Dans La Vie’s A/W 12-13 collection, flashes of colour were present as dyed hairpieces in sapphire green, crimson and light blonde were woven into plaits.

The elongated braids harmonised with extended, elegant eyes. Statement black eyes sat on a simple base. The Body Shop’s make up team worked graphic black eye make up from the inner corners of the eyes and finished at the outer edge with a heavy flick. Airbrushing was used to create a geometric checkerboard effect across the faces of the models, nodding cohesively towards the checks incorporated within the Spring/Summer 13 collection. Nails remained understated and painted in nude to match the bare-look lips. Stay posted on the VFS blog to check out the entire look on the catwalk.

Jennie Watson (@Jennie_Watson1)
Images by Charlotte Headdey