Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Dans La Vie

Dans La Vie by Marta Spendowska
Dans La Vie S/S 2012 by Marta Spendowska.

On Sunday I attended my first ever Dans La Vie show with very little idea of what to expect, price but hey, viagra 100mg the invitation was a colourful mashup of imagery and in my book that’s generally a good sign. Dans La Vie is diminutive Japanese designer Rira Sugawara and began life in 1999 as a print collection, clearly her first love. Since 2005 she has been presenting a full clothing collection in Paris, Milan and Berlin – now it’s our turn in London.

Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie (SS 2012) by Barb Royal
Dans La Vie S/S 2012 by Barb Royal.

This seasons collection was titled My Pop Madonna (Clash Beauty), and her four signature print designs were inspired and sent down the catwalk to music by four iconic female musicians: Madonna (of course), Rihanna, Lady Gaga and the late lamented Amy Winehouse. According to the press release My Pop Madonna (Clash Beauty) was also a response to Rira Sugawara‘s feelings in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake: it wasn’t exactly clear how these two seemingly unrelated strands of inspiration were intertwined, but the results were fun and refreshingly different.

Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW SS12 Dans La Vie by Kristina Vasiljeva
Dans La Vie S/S 2012 by Kristina Vasiljeva.

Rira Sugawara‘s Dan La Vie label specialises in a kind of glossy collaged look, which was manifested in the very first outfit to hit the catwalk: it featured a striking all over matching print on the blouse and a matching full shiny skirt that looked fit for the wettest of days. The collaged design included all sorts of intriguing elements: a Madonna face and florals mashed up into a striped pattern reminiscent of shifting ground. A cute shorts and blouse ensemble was followed by a wide belted trench that seemed more befitting of the patent fabric and was one of my favourite elements of this collection.

Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
dans la vie ellie sutton
Dans La Vie S/S 2012 by Ellie Sutton.

A giant floral print entwined with floating cherubs featured on more separates and this was then followed by a powerful pink roses and hearts combo that spread to holdalls and clutch bags. The collection then switched towards the biggest collage design yet, featuring apples, daffodils and what looked like skyscrapers. This was accompanied by some unfortunate pastel lips and then for some inexplicable reason a model appeared with her tits poking out of an otherwise demure beige blouse. Aside from these strange styling decisions there were lots of fun elements to the My Pop Madonna collection, and many of the Dans La Vie separates could easily find a place in the wardrobe of someone with a bold and colourful aesthetic.

Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie S/S 2012. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Categories ,amy winehouse, ,Barb Royal, ,Blow PR, ,catwalk, ,Clash Beauty, ,Clutch Bags, ,collage, ,Dans La Vie, ,Earthquake, ,Ellie Sutton, ,Fashion Scout, ,florals, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Glossy, ,hearts, ,japanese, ,kitsch, ,Kristina Vasiljeva, ,Lady Gaga, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,Madonna, ,Marta Spendowska, ,My Pop Madonna, ,print, ,review, ,Rihanna, ,Rira Sugawara, ,S/S 2012, ,Separates, ,Trench Coat

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Amelia’s Magazine | Dans La Vie: London Fashion Week S/S 2013 Catwalk Review

Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Jenny Robins
Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Jenny Robins.

And so for London Fashion Week S/S 2013, which I am covering in a reduced capacity this season due to Snarfle demands: he will intermittently be joining me at the shows and no doubt vocalising his opinions. Our first show of Friday was Dans La Vie by Rira Sugawara at Fashion Scout, and I was pleased to find that Snarfle was perky and very interested in his first front row experience, particularly the flashing lights of the photographers at the end of the catwalk.

Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Gareth A Hopkins
Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Jenny Robins
Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Jenny Robins
Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Jenny Robins.

For her Moving Print Bodies collection the Japanese designer used her signature plasticised printed fabrics to create a range of dramatic silhouettes in unusual colour combinations of mossy greens, pastel blues, mustard, blood red and teal. Gingham and python happily co-existed with gigantic bows and pictorial prints inspired by traditional Japanese gods. Waists were a big feature, cinched in with wide belts and exaggerated with tulip skirts and widened shoulders. The theme went somewhat haywire with the appearance of printed mesh catsuits that had panels across crotch and thighs in the style of Pam Hogg.

Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie S/S 2013. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Fantastical make up was inspired by the patterns of the fabric…. blackened eyes topped with chequerboard foreheads or square blocks smeared across cheek and chins. For the finale Sugawara sent out my favourite look: a searing azure blue swing skirted dress with bodice frills spiked over the face in great fans like the frilled neck of a lizard.

Dans La Vie SS 2013 September 2012-photo by Amelia Gregory
Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Deborah Moon
Dans La Vie S/S 2013 by Deborah Moon.

Dans La Vie has a very strong signature look but this season if felt a bit as if Sugawara was trying to shoehorn in as many of the prevailing trends as possible. The result? Individual pieces worked well but the collection as a whole came across as a bit of a style mish mash. Still, Snarfle gave it the thumbs up, so who am I to judge? Watch the catwalk show here:

Categories ,Dans La Vie, ,Deborah Moon, ,Fashion Scout, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,London Fashion Week, ,Moving Print Bodies, ,Pam Hogg, ,Rira Sugawara, ,S/S 2013, ,Snarfle

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