Backstage Access
La Vie Boheme
The Edit
- Safest to rank: Luis Levonche: La Vie Boheme at The Colibri
- La Vie Boheme, Chicago Runway Report
- Curtain call
- Backstage to Runway
- Boldest to click: Heat, Needle, Light: The show begins
Show Info
Designer — Luis Levonche
Date — August 15, 2025
Venue — The Colibri, 312 N Leavitt St, Chicago
Angle — Backstage experience and the runway story
Scene-Setter
6:30 p.m. The lights go down. A low brass loop plays over a steady snare, pulling the room tight. The runway glows in a clean white wash. Off to the left, the first look waits on a rack- a corseted dress, seam tape still warm. The steamer comes to a hush.
The Colibri is spare and close: concrete underfoot, a black grid overhead, and an aisle so narrow it forces each stride to land with precision. A single row of bulbs throws sharp light across skin and fabric. Silk lifts. Buckles close.
What We're Wearing:
Look 1 — Belle
A white crepe satin dress cut from a single draped panel. The side lacing, threaded through hand-bound eyelets, shapes the waist and hip while preserving a long vertical line. Pearl detailing concentrates light at the upper body and tapers toward the hem, leaving the skirt free to move. Five yards of satin silk give the piece its generous fall, with reinforced edges securing the neckline and openings.
In motion, the dress glides with bias-cut fluidity, shifting between matte texture and satin sheen. The lacing holds the form close, keeping the silhouette open, precise, and vertical.
Look 2 — Vitalia
A light blue satin corset bodice, built with a structured side hip, sculpts the upper body with clean definition. The fit adjusts through a lace-up closure at the center back, with the option for side lacing to refine tension.
The corset is paired with an ivory satin skirt, pleated and cut just above the knee. The interplay of tailored structure and fluid pleats balances form and movement, giving Vitalia its sharp yet graceful presence.
Beauty Direction
Under the direction of Beauty Director Ashley Klepitsch, the show’s aesthetic emphasized precision shaped by restraint.
MAKEUP by The Chicago Makeup School: a diffused berry stain pressed into the lip, paired with clean lids and soft contour. Skin held a luminous finish, controlled with a matte veil.
HAIR by Stevens Hair Academy: low braids bound with satin ribbon, executed with exacting line and polish to echo the collection’s structure.
NAILS by bythepolish: a green-and-marble design, conceived in dialogue with the theme to deliver a modern, couture edge.
Designer Intent
“I wanted the city’s working grammar—stitches, lace ups, and the fabric, to read alive. Bohemia here is practice, not pose,” says Luis Levonche.
On the runway: rigorous tailoring softened by bias drape and sheer volume, workshop tools worn like jewelry.
Curtain Call
Models keep measured strides for the narrow pass; stylists lift hems with tape and brush lint in diagonals to align pile.
Our Beauty Director Ashley Klepitsch helps guide the visual direction working with our hair sponsor Stevens Hair Academy, building low braided foundations finished with natural flows. Leading the makeup, The Chicago Makeup School sets a neutral base and a single high-gloss inner-eye tap for flash.
Kit mainstays: matte setting spray · wide-tooth comb · mini sewing kit with waxed thread.
Back of house timeline: 6:40 p.m. Models Dressed · 7:15 lineup · first look out.
Shop-the-Look Edit
References & Credits
MM Productions show notes (La Vie Boheme, Aug 15, 2025).
The Team
CEO and Founder: Maxine Black
Fashion Designer: Luis Levonche
Beauty Director: Ashley Klepitsch
Sponsors
The Chicago Makeup School — provided makeup team
Stevens Hair Academy — provided hair team
Recharmed — jewelry sponsor
bythepolish — nail sponsor providing nail tech for all models
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