French fashion house Hervé Léger was founded in 1985 by designer Hervé Peugnet who was credited as leading the design team which reshaped Chanel in the early 1980s prior to Karl Lagerfeld's arrival. Lagerfeld, whom Peugnet had worked for, advised that his surname would be too difficult to pronounce for international clientele and he suggested the surname Léger instead. The brand’s body-con bandage dresses became popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s along with Azzedine Alaïa's, who had introduced the style himself by 1985. The House of Herve Léger changed hands in 1998 and the bandage dress was reinvigorated by the new owner and designer Max Azria in 2007 when the brand became a sensation once again. Azria said, “A bandage dress isn't woven; it's all knitted on a knitting machine, which is a completely different concept. People assume it's cut-and-sew, but there's no cutting. It's knitted in a panel and then attached.”
This elaborately embellished bandage dress walked the runway as part of the brand’s Spring 2015 collection (look 33/35). Tailored to a long-sleeved, thigh-length silhouette, the top hugs the arms, shoulders, bust and waist before flaring into a flippy, skater-style skirt. The fabric is exceptionally weighty, a patchwork of intricately woven fabrics with different knit styles in dusky pink, beige, pale grey and charcoal. The workmanship across this dress is staggering and one of the most costly examples ever produced by the House. Strips of “bandage” stretch-knit form alternating weaving, mesh-like and zig-zagging patterns across the surface, anchored by silver-tone studs and rectangular beads. The Vogue review said, “As the warrior shed her armour, out came dresses that celebrated the female form, with banding, beading, hardware, and corset closures calling attention to the bust, waist, and hips.” This dress secures at the rear with a hidden tonal grey zip and hook-and-eye clasp. The cuffs also contain hidden tonal grey zips. The dress is unlined.
This piece is in excellent vintage condition and looks barely worn. It has no composition label and the size is labelled a Small. Please check our measurements below carefully as this dress does not stretch in the way others Herve Léger bandage dresses do.
MEASUREMENTS
BUST - 34 in. (86 cm)
WAIST - 28 in. (71 cm)
HIP - 38 in. (97 cm)
LENGTH - 39 in. (99 cm)