Herve: New Style, New Name
You are familiar with Mr. Herve Leger, but are you familiar with Mr. Herve L. Leroux? Of course you are, considering they are the same person. You may ask yourself, now why would a man like Herve Leger change his name after gaining all the fame and fortune from his original bandage dress? Well, we can blame BCBG for that one.
After years of experience working for some of the largest names in fashion – such as Karl Lagerfeld, Fendi, Lanvin, Chloe, Chanel, and others – Herve set out to create a line for himself in 1985 by setting up his own atelier in Paris. In 1989, Herve’s new collection was to be presented to the fashion world. Seeking a one-of-a-kind showstopper finale piece, Herve was forced to get creative in his studio. By winding some seam binding he found around a mannequin, he discovered just the inspiration he needed for his soon-to-be world famous bandage dress!
In 1998, the Herve Leger brand was acquired by the BCBG Max Azria group on an ill-advised business deal, which led to Leger being fired 6 months after the acquisition. Unhappy with the new designs and unable to make changes to the line due to losing control of his company and the rights to his name, Herve Leger reinvented himself as Herve L. Leroux.
Meet Leroux: a name meaning Herve the Red – suggested by his good friend Karl Lagerfeld inspired by his red hair. Like Leger with the bandage dress created to enhance a woman’s body, Leroux created a new concept of draped jersey dresses. These dresses embrace the shapes of the form-fitting bandage dresses of his original collections, but have an elegant feminine twist with the softer fabrics. Herve has never believed in designing pieces to follow trends, but more so designing dresses to accentuate a woman’s body regardless of their shape or size.
Herve Leroux’s dresses have made a splash on the red carpet. Check out some of my favorite looks below:
Sofia Vergara
Gabrielle Union
Dita von Teese
Amy Adams
Anna Paquin
Penelope Cruz
Kristen Stewart
So who do YOU prefer: Leger or Leroux?
