Fashion / ShowViktor & Rolf Haute Couture SS14Mesmerising Dutch National Ballet dancers in latex and tattoo motifs lift couture en pointeShareLink copied ✔️January 23, 2014FashionShowText Susie Lau Photography Lea Colombo Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture SS14 Initial reaction: Bodies poised, elevated and fetishised in latex ensembles where you couldn't figure out where skin finished and garment began. In a week where we have been constantly asking how can haute couture move forward, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren presented a fine riposte. They made latex dresses in shades of flesh and pink look printed with tromp l'oeil detailing and hand painted tattoo motifs, just as convincing as a brocade ballgown encrusted with crystals and embroidery. How they moved: Behind a giant grey screen, one by one a dancer from the Dutch National Ballet company lined up, with only their latex-covered ballet shoes visible from the gap between screen and floor. 1st position, 2nd position. Then each one emerged en pointe moving around the room, circling the four mirrored columns, which created a mesmerising vision, where reflection and reality blurred together. How they wore it: The mass of hair, crimped and frizzed so that the faces of the dancers were obscured, could have been seen as eerie. Instead, it gave these haughty dancers a touching vulnerability. The mood evoked was that of Deborah Turbeville's photographic subjects - soft and mysterious. Even the palette of the latex dresses reminded you of the photographer's famous Bathhouse series. From Viktor Horsting: "We wanted the show to be en pointe – literally – because we wanted something very elevated and poetic and because couture is the most elevated form of fashion. We were thinking of skin because we're launching our new perfume so we thought about intimacy so we decided to blur the border between skin and clothing." From Rolf Snoeren: "We wanted something very soft and romantic but with an edge but trying to make latex soft. It was probably one of the most difficult things we ever did because the material was so challenging to work with." Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.TrendingThe rise of the intellectual tattooFrom spiritual flowcharts to psychological models, diagrams are increasingly becoming a tattoo choice – but what exactly do they signify?BeautyLife & CultureWhy so many young people are training to be death doulas Nike FashionNike celebrates the culture of soccer ahead of a summer shaped by the gameFilm & TV7 sex worker-approved films about sex workBeautyNude awakening: Meet the young people embracing naturismBeauty10 of the hottest Instagram accounts fusing art, sex and eroticaBeauty‘I can’t even be bothered to masturbate’: Ozempic and the death of desireBeautyThe sexiest flesh-baring Instagram accounts you need to followBeautyDirty Girls: The cult 90s documentary that made being dirty feel radicalEscape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy