The Tamesis
How many ways are there to reinvent the bandage dress? Michelle Ochs certainly put her best foot forward in Hervé Léger’s Fall 2026 collection.
Inheriting a 40-year-old brand with extremely specific responsibilities is a double-edged sword for Ochs, who respects Hervé Léger’s heritage while also trying to push it forward. Celebrity placements definitely help. Sydney Sweeney recently wore a bright pink Hervé dress on the controversial cover of Cosmopolitan, while newly minted Grammy winner Olivia Dean wore the upcoming Spring 2026 dress during Grammy weekend. “What I also like is that the younger generation is finding us through reference, vintage or old fashion shows,” she said. “But, to me, these pieces are timeless.”
Still, while Oakes isn’t abandoning the party-girl staples of past decades, she’s finding new ways to generate intrigue. One such way? separate. “You’d be surprised they don’t have miniskirts here,” Oakes said. (Indeed, I was.) So at the same time Oaks was launching miniskirts in the brand’s signature bandage material, she was also launching turtlenecks and shirts in the “going out tops” variety.
Oakes made a commendable effort in trying to push the boundaries of the bandage. Instead of just wearing knitted down bandage dresses, she’s looking to add dimension. In the red two-piece look, she sewed the bandages together to create a three-dimensional effect. Elsewhere, a blue mini dress eschewed a bandage aesthetic, instead using a base of sculpted, comfortable knit and layered with a sheer cobalt layer.
The best pieces in the collection forego bandages entirely, instead embodying Hervé Léger’s signature style. Oakes designed a jacket (she showed it here in a cobalt blue and black colorway) with shoulder pads and delicate ruffles, its seams contouring the body like a traditional bandage dress. While Ochs knows she can’t abandon the brand’s DNA, she hopes she can continue on this path.
