“It’s out,” exclaimed Michelle Ochs, creative director of Hervé Léger. Ochs has slowly been world-building, taking a bird’s eye view to expand on what is expected from a brand known for the bondage dress and now that her first collection has hit stores. “We’re still building on the DNA,” she said of her reset, continuing to play with proportion, unexpected fabrications, color and even adding daywear.
Fall sees her muse on how the brand can fit into an overall wardrobe. One way? The introduction of leather, as seen on a well-cut menswear-style jacket with front pockets in silver leather metallic, or a brown pencil skirt, both unexpected. The language of bondage fabric strips — and their cinching power— is seen throughout, like a red tank dress — a signature color — but also in a range of layering pieces like sheer tops or liquid button-downs with a subtle strip of well-known fabric down the back. They broaden the brand’s reach and anchor it in urban dress outside of a party frock. “I’m trying to show you how she lives now and how she should wear it,” she said.
A new day indeed with the addition of hardware touches to add edge or sensual body-con dresses with strips of fringe, firmly planting Ochs’ modern vision.
It’s no easy task to reinvent a brand with such a deep singular history but Ochs, little by little, is evolving Léger. Now it’s time to see if her customers agree.
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