Herve Leger

Hervé Léger is a Paris-founded house built on the bandage dress: knitted rather than woven strips of elastic-blend fabric that compress and sculpt the body, developed by founder Hervé Peugnet — renamed Léger on Karl Lagerfeld's advice — alongside Azzedine Alaïa's body-conscious work of the mid-1980s. Collections center on strapless minidresses, column gowns, bodysuits and knit separates in black, nude and metallics, with cut-out, ruched and lace-up variations. The label has been American-owned since BCBG Max Azria Group bought it from Seagram in 1998, and sells through its own e-commerce and US department stores.