Herve Leger by Max Azria Fall 2009
Herve Leger by Max Azria Fall 2009

NEW YORK, Feb 17, 2009 / FW/ — Hervé Leger exceeded our expectations of seeing yet another collection full of skin-tight, mummy-like dresses for the perfectly-proportioned. Instead, he surprised us with flirty dresses, metallic accents, and modern silhouettes that had us ooh-ing and ahh-ing.

Despite the slickness of the runway and the impossibly high heels the models wore, or rather stumbled in, our eyes were glued to Hervé’s latest and greatest body-hugging ensembles.

Innovation was key in his collection in elements such as bolero-like pieces made of inch-long, metallic drops that reflected light in a way that made it look like they were flashing with each wobbly step the models took.

Also, he was able to translate the shoulder-accentuating trend in a feminine and sexy, yet super modern manner through impossibly cute raised cap sleeves.

We loved how he strayed from his typical horizontal bandaging to include impressive diagonal designs- think of the Union Jack on an extremely sexy bronze party dress.

He even experimented with ruching, a technique not characteristic of the ultra sleek label, to add texture to what could have easily been a we’ve-seen-that-before collection.

He even used an innovative dyeing method to add bleeding color around the edges of the banding, as seen on front row beauty, Michelle Trachtenberg. The most high-pitched-squeal-worthy moments came with the mirrored and crystallized frocks, reflecting glimmering light from every square inch. We’d take three… if only Max Azria would sell these awe-inspiring Hervé frocks at BCBG prices.

[LINDSAY McCALLUM and ANNIE KREIGHBAUM]
Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

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New York Fashion Week Fall 2009

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