Photo: Courtesy of Hervé Léger
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As I was crossing Canal Street on my way to the Soho Grand during New York Fashion Week this month, I saw throngs of colorful outfits surrounded by paparazzi and street style photographers and thought to myself: No way.
Like me, all these people couldn’t go see the new Hervé Léger collection. Since the days of prom and sweet 16, I hadn’t uttered that name seriously in over a decade of his. I thought he must be staying in a hotel waiting for a celebrity, or something else. But no. It turns out we were all there for the same reason: I heard the certified ‘hot girl’ brand that I coveted as a teenager was making a comeback, so I decided to dress like a bandage dress. bat-signal appeared in the sky.
From left: Naomi Campbell walking the runway in 1993. Photo: Pool ARNAL/GARCIA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesCindy Crawford trend A party in 1998 wearing a bandage dress. Photo: Victor Malafronte/Getty Images
From above: Naomi Campbell walking the runway in 1993. Photo: Pool ARNAL/GARCIA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesCindy Crawford trend Wear a bar and party…
From above: Naomi Campbell walking the runway in 1993. Photo: Pool ARNAL/GARCIA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesCindy Crawford trend A party in 1998 wearing a bandage dress. Photo: Victor Malafronte/Getty Images
Hervé Léger was founded in 1985 by designer Hervé Peugnet, who started his career under Karl Lagerfeld.As trend Author and vintage expert Lyanna Satinstein explained in a recent episode ReturnWhile working for Fendi, Peugnet saw how the brand used felt bands to create fur coats, and was inspired by the technique, knitting strips of stretchy fabric together to create his own For the collection, we created a “bandage” effect that fits snugly on the body. (In one review, Times Critic Amy Spindler called it a “sexy mummy face”.) When Pune became independent, Lagerfeld advised him to change the name to make it easier for Americans to pronounce, Herve Léger was born.
Peugnet took other silhouettes down the runway, but it was the bandage dress that left his legacy. Supermodels like Cindy Crawford made it a hot item in the mid-’90s. In fact, this brand was acquired by the BCBG Max Azria Group in 1998. Lindsay Lohan began wearing red bandages on his carpets and in clubs in the early 2000s, and it became a staple of “outings.” In 2007, the brand officially relaunched under Max Azria and debuted at New York Fashion His Week the following year.By the time the bandage dress was worn in the episode of gossip girlthe aspiring Manhattan elite all wanted to stuff themselves into one.
From left: Lindsay Lohan at an event in 2006. Photo: Robin Platzer/FilmMagicVictoria Beckham at an event in 2007. Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images
From above: Lindsay Lohan at an event in 2006. Photo: Robin Platzer/FilmMagicVictoria Beckham at an event in 2007. Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images
“I think I wore a Hervé Léger dress to every event from 18 to 21,” actress Lea Michele said at the brand’s presentation this year. She also worked at a Bar Mitzvah dress shop growing up in New Jersey, where she also “helped sell some Herve Léger dresses,” she said.
Bandage dresses, in particular, cost over $500, which can be prohibitive for teens, let alone adults. If I had the chance to wear one when I was in high school, I would have named my eldest son Hervé. Bodycon is back in style as people start going out again. did.
According to RealReal, the number of people buying Hervé Léger has increased by 16% in the past year, and demand is expected to return in 2022. Searches for this brand increased by 119% in February compared to the same period last year, and his purchases in his first two weeks of the month increased by 67 compared to his last two weeks in January. % increased.
Noelle Sciacca, Editor-in-Chief of Women at RealReal, said: “They dress up and go out, opting for both bare-skin and bodycon styles. Couple this with the fact that the iconic Y2K-era trends are at the height of their popularity.”
From left: Amanda Bynes at the 2009 event. Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImageBlake Lively on set gossip girl in 2009. Photo: James Devaney/WireImage
From above: Amanda Bynes at the 2009 event. Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImageBlake Lively on set gossip girl in 2009. Photo: James Devaney/WireIma…
From above: Amanda Bynes at the 2009 event. Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImageBlake Lively on set gossip girl in 2009. Photo: James Devaney/WireImage
After its heyday in the early 2000s, bandage dresses faded with trucker hats and low-rise jeans, and “going out” in general began to look more casual. In 2017, the BCBG Max Azria Group actually filed for bankruptcy and Hervé Léger was acquired by Authentic Brands. Since then, the company has worked to revive the brand (again), appointing designer Christian Jules Nielsen as his director of creative in 2018. His presentation at New York Fashion Week was the biggest yet.
“When Hervé Léger contacted me, I was intrigued because it was a brand with such a long history,” Nielsen told Cut. “How can we update it? How can we take something that’s almost classic and make it new?”
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Hervé LégerPhoto: Courtesy of Hervé Léger
From above: Photo: Courtesy of Hervé LégerPhoto: Courtesy of Hervé Léger
First, he started by looking at archives. His 90s photos of Karen Mulder, Helena Christensen, and of course Cindy Crawford flooded his mood board. “It’s really something I said yes to when I saw that mid-90s miniskirts and healthy, beautiful girl styles were associated again,” he said.
But he also wanted to update the brand’s “sexy mummy” by using different fabrics and introducing new silhouettes. It’s made from mohair instead of a viscose blend, giving it a more comfortable and plush feel.
“When I’m working, I try to think of girls I know, girls I hang out with and socialize with,” Nielsen explained. “I think about what they like to wear when they go out. Girls love fringe! How can I avoid looking like a glam obsolete boomerang shot?”
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Hervé LégerPhoto: Courtesy of Hervé Léger
From above: Photo: Courtesy of Hervé LégerPhoto: Courtesy of Hervé Léger
One of the ways Nielsen updated the silhouette of the Herve Leger is as follows. gasping -Pants! Really tight pants. (I mean, leggings.) He styled them as a layer under dresses and skirts, and also designed trendy bike shorts.
The collection certainly looks more modern, but can it compete with the hype of new body-conscious brands like Nensi Dojaka, which won the LVMH Young Designer Award last year? Will I be able to live and breathe in the Herve Léger? Nielsen says his clothing is less restrictive than it used to be. Told sports illustrated Model Olivia Ponton wore green pants and a crop top to demonstrate just in case I don’t believe her. Lea Michele also wore a Nielsen bandage dress during her pregnancy last year and said it was supportive. I’m not entirely sure I can. When a friend gave me a vintage neon green one from RealReal as a birthday gag gift last year, I could barely move so I had to return it. did not.
Comfort has never been the best reason for existence But of Hervé Léger. Bandage Her dress was designed to look and feel hot, and during his five seconds in the vintage dress, I felt like a completely different, very sexy person. I took about a million selfies and posted one of him on ‘Finstagram’. And when I took it off, I felt even better.