The bandage dress is back.
In August 2021, when actress Tiffany Haddish stepped out in a little black bandage dress from the Hervé Léger Fall 2021 collection with voluminous taffeta sleeves, styled by Hollywood stylist and image architect Law Roach, the look went viral , the dress became a best-seller, and the moment became the impetus for a collaboration with the famous ready-to-wear brand.
The Hervé Léger x Law Roach collection celebrates fashion’s current nostalgia for all things 80s, 90s and early 2000s through 25 luxurious and modern looks.
“I’ve built quite a reputation with archival dressage – which Bella [Hadid] and I just did that at Cannes with vintage, and more recently Zendaya with vintage Bob Mackie – so I just have a real passion for the way things used to be, and also giving new life to things that already exist Roach told WWD, adding that he took the opportunity to elevate the brand’s rich archives, history and lineage through the collection.
Hervé Léger was founded by French designer Hervé Peugnet in 1985, and the brand was sold to BCBG Max Azria Group in 1998. Since then, it has been acquired by ABG Group and featured on and off the Fashion Week calendar from New York.
“The brand’s DNA is still going strong and resonates with so many people. The 90s and early 2000s was the ‘It’ brand — at the shows, there were all the ‘It’ girls walking, and I love that stuff,” Roach said.
To develop the line of 25 looks, Roach and his team created an inspiration board filled with ideas from past Hervé collections and images he had “banked on Instagram over the past two years.” From there, he, creative director Christian Juul Nielsen and Hervé Léger’s team collaborated from first sketch feedback to fitting tests between New York and Los Angeles.
“Working with Christian has been a dream. On the brand side, Melissa Lefere-Cobb [senior vice president, division head at Hervé Léger], has been amazing,” Roach said. “What I think is the most beautiful thing about collaborating – I came in, I’m running a business and I get the gist of it, but it was ‘do what you want’. Even when Christian and I were in fashion design, he said to “do what you are passionate about, there are no mistakes.” To step into a brand and not be smothered, that was amazing to me.
The tribute was duly paid. Within the range, striped bandage dresses with matching gloves were influenced by the label’s Spring 1997 collection, updated in a modern palette of neutrals, with hints of lavender – an easy, timeless and universal palette for all skin tones and complexions Roach noted. Ditto for sexy and sophisticated silk charmeuse dresses with strappy bandage tops.
Roach also dotted intriguing tonal squiggle-like embroidery (like on a smooth black jumpsuit), soft draping, sculptural cutouts and layering techniques with styling versatility, merchandising and price points in mind.
“I dream of things being on a rail in a store, and I wanted the rail to look pretty. It comes from the moment I style and my clients come in for fittings, everything is color coordinated by length. I took that part of my day job and translated it into the way people approached and viewed the collection,” he said.
Prices are $690 to $2,900.
Whether shopping for investment pieces, researching vacation wear, or researching day-to-night styles for “on or off the red carpet,” Roach advocates for clothes to be lived in and loved again and again.
“I’m really passionate about women and women’s dressing. The fact that I hopefully dress millions of women and see them – I want to stop and talk about the clothes, I plan to go to the stores. I’m really excited, it’s a proud moment to be who I am and to come from where I’m from and to go to these retailers and see my name on a label.
Roach also served as creative director for the Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya collection and wants to do more in the design arena.
“If brands are reading this and want to collaborate, let’s talk about it,” he joked.
“I’m crossing my fingers and God willing, the collaboration will be really successful and maybe there will be another season with Hervé because it has been an absolute pleasure. This collection is really unique and comes from my heart, from my imagination and my research. It was such a dream and I would like to do it again with them.
