Dressing Room Diary: What Trying On 17 Hervé Léger Dresses Reveals

Thanks to a man named Max Azria, the signature Herv̩ L̩ger bandage-dress, which took a major hit when silhouettes began to expand, ultimately resulting in the fashion house's demise, is back with a vengeance! The look isn۪t just a celebrity must-have, it۪s THE celebrity must have. It۪s so hot that after months of seclusion, a rehabbed Lindsay Lohan opted for one of the classic Herve styles for her re-emergence onto the scene, so hot that uber fashionista Victoria Beckham committed the ultimate fashion show faux-pas by wearing a Leger dress to a Marc Jacobs fashion show, so hot that once that dress became available at Intermix online, it caused the server to crash, so hot that it۪s almost impossible to find a red carpet event devoid of at least one celebrity swaddled within the confines of this unmistakable look.

As the Herv̩ L̩ger wave came crashing down, my questions began to mount: what۪s all the fuss about? Why are these dresses so insanely expensive? Sure these dresses look great on pin-thin celebrities and were to-die-for on the runway, but what about real life women? Why haven't I ever even seen someone who isn't a celebrity wearing one of these dresses?

Off to Bendels I went to do some investigating. I tried on every style on the rack in both my size and the size above. Here are my findings:

Hervé Pros
- The dresses have amazing bust support and lift you up creating the perfect cleavage.
- I never knew I was so bootylicious until this experience, I guess there€™s some sort of butt-lifter in there as well!
- The exquisite craftsmanship is undeniable and the material was unlike anything I had ever felt.
- There's no denying that this style is meant to celebrate the archetypal female form.

Hervé Cons
- With the exception of the black and dark-colored styles, these dresses reveal EVERYTHING- every lump, bump, bulge and everything that you never ever want to expose!
- Eating is pretty much out of the question - there€™s no hiding even the tiniest amount of bloat.
- While this style celebrates the ideal feminine body type (the dresses would definitely be most flattering on anyone with an hourglass shape), the average woman is not built that way.

Shopping Tips
- While I was horrified by my appearance in some of the dresses, the sales-girl couldn€™t stop gushing about how incredible I looked. Was she just trying to make a sale and earn her commission? Was I being overly self-conscious? I guess we€™ll never know. I would advise bringing someone along who will tell you the absolute truth if you want to shop for an Herve dress.
- I have a feeling that these dresses would have looked infinitely better had I worn spanx or some other item that sucks you in and smoothes you out - a trick I€™m sure all the celebrity Herve fans strictly adhere to.

So there you have it. There were some styles I liked and probably would consider, but I didn't get that ache in my heart that usually comes when I simply have to have something! However, you may feel differently- give it a try and let us know about the results of your own Herve investigation in COMMENTS section.

For more results from my little study and some hot new Herve styles, check out my SLIDESHOW.