The 2000s Were ‘So Back’ at Hervé Léger’s 40th Anniversary Party
People often bemoan a bygone era of clubbing in New York—but during NYFW, stepping off Lafayette Street and into the basement of Jean’s was as close to a time-machine experience as you could hope for. Why? Because inside the hotspot, a crowd of 100-ish people consisted mainly of women in second-skin minis and fur shawls. The reason? To celebrate the reigning purveyor of the bandage dress: Hervé Léger.
Time moves fast. It’s—somehow—the fortieth anniversary of the brand which put the divisive garment on the map in the first place. Nodding to its own influence in the category, the label has released a new capsule collection titled, fittingly, Icons Reborn. Showing it off, guests including social media stars, nepo babies, and a former Miss Universe hit the checkerboard dance floor as DJ Francesca Keller blasted a club mix of Y2K hits and contemporary girl pop (think: everything from Hollaback Girl to Fame is a Gun).
“I feel like I’m back at Butter,” exclaimed Hervé Léger creative director Michelle Ochs, referring to the popular aughts restaurant that once occupied the very same NoHo space. Turns out, she’d celebrated her 22nd birthday in that very room.
“The party girl is back, and the ‘clean girl’ is out,” laughed Melissa Lefere-Cobb, the label’s senior vice president, motioning to one of the many three-tiered trays of cigarettes that littered the club. This certainly seemed to be true for those in this room, many of whom had leaned into the theme with bubblegum-pink lip gloss and sky-high heels. Distinctly sweet notes of perfume also hung thick in the air.
Lefere-Cobb said that the “lightbulb” moment for an anniversary relaunch capsule arrived when she noticed that teens and women in their 20s were rooting out vintage Hervé Léger bandage dresses from their moms’ closets, or snapping them up on The RealReal, and posting about them on TikTok. As such, this new offering is aimed at attracting that next-gen customer, with a more attainable price range (between $350 and $445).
Fun-loving Ivy Getty, who was wearing a tiara to go with her two-tone midi dress from the new range, was tempted to don her own vintage lilac-hued Hervé for the night. It had actually belonged to her late father—a prolific collector of women’s fashion who had left her a sizeable collection of Hervé Léger and Paco Rabanne dresses which she keeps in a warehouse. Meanwhile, Campbell Hunt-Puckett, aka “Pookie,” told Vogue that she still has two of her beloved bandage dresses hanging up in her closet. “I’m always surprised when my girlfriends ask to borrow them, because the dresses are over 10 years old, but they always say that they are the most flattering!”
The Hervé Leger bandage dress is a piece that evokes vivid memories for many. Some people in attendance went into nostalgia-mode as they recalled borrowing one from their mom or big sister—one girl even spoke of slipping into one for her junior homecoming dance. Keller, whose own mom is stylist and former Vogue editor Elissa Santisi, said that she always wanted one of the bandage dresses during high school. But, they were a real “Upper East Side girl thing,” and Keller grew up in Brooklyn Heights. She’s delighted that the look is making a comeback, so she can finally wear one of her own. On Wednesday, she danced the night away behind the DJ booth in a strapless sequin mini dress from the latest collection.
Ochs, the designer, thinks that one reason for the renewed appeal of the tighter-than-tight silhouette has to do with the pop cultural relevance of brands like Skims. “A few years ago, no one was talking about shapewear, and now, it’s everywhere! We’re doing built-in shapewear, and these girls get it,” she offered.
By the time the party officially ended, most of the fashion week veterans had left the club—it was a school night, after all. Keller was packing up her equipment, handing over to the next DJ readying to take to the stage. However, that didn’t stop the younger crowd from sticking around to dance into the early hours and record TikToks of each other. Some had even ordered bottle service. A duo in their early twenties, who were at their very first fashion week party, said they scoured the rental platform Pickle for vintage bandage dresses upon receiving the invitation. One of them said, proudly, that her grey and black number was the same style worn by Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl season 2, episode 4 The Ex-Files—where she wears the dress to make Dan Humphrey jealous. “I literally couldn’t believe it,” she said, as her friend’s iPhone flash went off while she posed for more pictures.
Photo by: Kate Owen1/20Ivy Getty
Photo by: Kate Owen2/20Campbell Hunt-Puckett
