It can occasionally seem as if Lubov and Max Azria resurrected Hervé Léger for one reason: to send professional partygoers scurrying to the gym. For pre-fall, their skintight bandage dresses are as sexy—and uncompromising—as ever. This season s offering saw an uptick in prints (a pretty floral, in some cases dressed up further with hand beading), while the bondage theme was amplified with a series of harness belts. Color-blocked, paneled, and jacquard-striped versions came in two lengths: mini and mini-er (with a couple of knee grazers throw in). New shades like military green and blush pink provided the shock of the new; otherwise, this was mostly business as usual. And why not? Sex sells, and in a murky market moment when even the canniest can barely see a quarter ahead, the Azrias know that it s a surefire way to find happy customers.
