The Cult of Herve Leger
Herve Leger’s body-con ‘bandage dress’ first hit the scene in the 1980s. In an era known for volume – shoulder pads, MC Hammer pants, big hair, puff ball prom dresses – Leger’s sculpted sheaths that shaped and smoothed the feminine silhouette in all the right places were a breath of fresh air.
“Created for a glamorous and sophisticated woman, Leger’s designs were an immediate hit and paved the way for Azzedine Alaia in the 90s and Christopher Kane, Proenza Schouler, and Preen’s body-conscious collections.
In 1999 Herve Leger was taken over by BCBG fashion giant Max Azaria, a Los Angeles-based designer who re-launched the label to critical and red-carpet acclaim in 2007. A firm fashion favourite of Young Hollywood, Herve Leger has been seen on everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Cate Blanchett and is a staple in Hayden Panetierre, Kim Kardashian, Rhianna and Victoria Beckham‘s wardrobes.
Rachel Bilson described her Herve Leger experience in InStyle as “very sexy..very tight..the whole dress is like one big spanx. Indeed, the bandage dress does appear to have super powers: creating an hour glass figure whether the wearer has one or not. Who needs Superman when you’ve got Herve?!
Author: Frankie Mathieson
a clothes addict and when she's not writing about them for MFL and Frankie's Fashion Footnotes, she can be found working on them in the wardrobe department of The Royal Opera House! She previously trained as a television researcher, and has worked on the publication The Fashion Almanac and the feature film Desert Flower.
