by POPSUGAR Fashion News 0

>> With the recent red carpet ubiquity of those Herve Leger bandage dresses, it was a refreshing surpise to see Penelope Cruz show up at the Vicky Cristina Barcelona premiere last night in a navy Herve L. Leroux gown.

Why, you ask? Because the designer behind Herve L. Leroux is the real Herve Leger — he changed his name after BCBG Max Azria bought his brand Herve Leger in a very public split in 1999.  Max Azria now designs the Herve Leger dresses you see on the red carpet and on the runway, but Herve L. Leroux is the one who pioneered those bandage dresses as far back as the late eighties.

He focuses mostly on tight draping now, as exemplified by Penelope's dress, leaving the bandage strips behind with his old brand, but I hope to see more of his work hit the spotlight in the future.  His name recognition reminds me of Alaia's: Big in the nineties, but now a well-kept fashion secret.
*image: source