There is no question that Herve Leger (the man) is an incredibly talented, if not visionary, designer. In the ’80s and ’90s, his skintight bandage dresses showcased their wearers’ aerobicized bodies, but also sculpted and highlighted them in a sexy yet flattering way, thanks to the dresses’ tightly knit bandage construction. The grunge years were not kind to Leger, however, and Max Azria eventually bought his company in the late ’90s. Azria himself took over as designer when the line relaunched in 2007, and while many in the fashion industry (myself included) weren’t exactly holding their breath, Azria has managed to totally revive the house of Leger, and each runway collection of his improves upon the last, exploring new ways to interpret the iconic shape. The bandage dress is definitely having a moment right now, and when it comes to your upcoming holiday party-season dress, there’s no better choice.

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If you’re going to invest in a bandage dress, you might as well go for the real thing. Shopbop has a great selection of Herve Leger dresses, but my favorite is the angled bandage cocktail dress, which, due to the diagonal construction of the panels, will have a very flattering effect on a wide range of women, emphasizing the positive aspects of one’s figure. Think of it as gorgeous scaffolding for your body.

Of course, it’s always interesting seeing how other designers interpret such an iconic look. Alexander Wang’s lace bandage dress isn’t quite as skintight as something you’d expect from the master of downtown-sexy dressing, but with its lace overlay and draped effect in the shoulder, it’s even, dare I say, a bit elegant.

Even more forgiving to the figure is Preen’s power bandage dress. It still retains the banded effect in the bodice–and the back has a very sexy cutout detail–but the peplum skirt skims the hips to hide a multitude of flaws.
More bandage dresses after the jump…
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