Gen Z Is Bringing Back The 2000s Bandage Dress

Iconic is a buzzword thrown around a lot in the industry. I still recall a former fashion editor encouraging me only to use it when things were, well, truly iconic. An example? The bandage dress. I’d argue there’s perhaps no better way to describe the piece, which was popularized by Hervé Léger in the early ‘90s. “From the beginning, it was a standout,” Michelle Ochs, the brand’s current creative director, tells me over the phone. Steeped in history, the bandage dress — which, yes, resembles the look of bandages wrapped all over the body — was soon adopted by ‘90s supermodels, including Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell. In the mid-2000s, they passed the sartorial baton to Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham, and Rihanna, who wore it on red carpets and to elite parties. And now, the next generation of fashion girls are officially adopting the look.

Given that some Gen Z weren’t even born during the bandage dress’ heyday, many are just discovering the famous style. Ochs, who took the reins in 2023, attributes the look’s recent meteoric rise to young shoppers’ craving for nostalgia. Of course, it’s hardly the first time Gen Z dug up blast-from-the-past looks — perhaps you remember the recent boom in vintage Coach bags on TikTok, with the generation expressing their newfound love of the heritage brand. And much like the Coach carryalls, if it weren’t for the app, the bandage dress comeback wouldn’t have reached this many twenty-somethings.

“TikTok is the perfect platform for it,” the creative director says about the bandage dress movement, which has spread like wildfire on social media. Take creator Olivia Boblet’s video, where she documents herself trying on the body-hugging numbers for the first time, which is sitting at a staggering 1.7 million views and counting. “Not only are Gen Z discovering it with new, fresh eyes, they’re discovering it organically,” Ochs notes. Celebrity stylist Cassy Meier echoes the above, noting how Gen Z is likely attracted to the silhouette for the same reason millennials once were. “It makes the body look incredible; it’s sexy and simple,” she explains.

Hollywood darlings, too, have been slipping into the second-skin silhouette. For instance, Meier dressed Suki Waterhouse in a hot pink Hervé Léger dress last July for the singer’s “Blackout Drunk” music video. “All of us on set were talking about it, and for us, we were in our late teens or early 20s when that was all happening,” she says about the mid-2000s trend. “It was such an aspirational dress to have in your wardrobe.” Meier chose the piece as it aligned with Waterhouse’s song. “It’s about getting too drunk one night and finally telling that situationship that you're not going to put up with it anymore,” she says. “I thought about who a party girl was, and she was the girl in the Herve Leger bandage dress. It was such a fun call back to that [mid-2000s] era.”

In addition to Waterhouse, Kaia Gerber could also be dubbed a leader of the bandage dress revival, having recently worn a recreation of mother Cindy Crawford’s custom white Hervé Léger dress from the 65th Academy Awards in 1993. At the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024, Gerber arrived in a similar-looking long white body-con with pointy-toe pumps, just like Crawford.  

Another proponent of the bandage dress is none other than Hailey Bieber. In April, the Rhode founder rocked a plum-colored Saint Laurent gown for the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards. And though this iteration wasn’t created by Hervé Léger, she recently donned the label’s black, red, and white iteration from one of its ‘90s collections. “Herve bandage dress are back I fear,” she responded to fashion critic Kim Russell, who messaged her “Criminally hot” about the look, according to a screenshot of the chat.

Though this new generation is just starting to make memories with the bandage dress, many millennials have already experienced the style in all its tight, sultry glory. “Everyone has a story; everyone has a moment,” Ochs says, noting how the number was once a hit at high school dances such as homecoming and prom. Veteran fashion editor Dani Stahl recalls bringing her now-husband to one of its fashion shows 13 years or so ago. “We had two front-row seats, and I was so happy,” she says on a call. As mentioned, it was a celebrity it item from roughly 2007 to 2012. Kim Kardashian often flocked to her styles for swanky dinners; Victoria Beckham donned it at fashion shows; Rihanna opted for the look on the red carpets. 

When she stepped into the CD role two years ago, Ochs began looking at the dress in a new light, hoping to squash any past misconceptions about the style. “A lot of it was shaking some of the stigma off, like that you need to be a size zero [to wear it],” she explains. “It was really important for me to have that reframing.” Similarly, Stahl likes how the bandage dress is more accessible this time around. “Now, it’s about owning your body in all shapes and sizes,” she explains, adding that she can see anyone wearing the dress. “I think that’s really good.”

As of late, the creative director has been rolling out an assortment of reimagined bandage dresses. “I wanted to bring a new perspective in the sense of femininity, wearability, and empowerment by giving it different textures [like fringe] and cutouts. According to Ochs, the enthusiasm around the dress’ return has been palpable. Her mother-in-law, in particular, was ecstatic to hear the news. “She pulled out 20-year-old Hervé Léger dresses,” she says. “Again, it's a testament to how well they hold up.”

Whether you grew up hitting the clubs in the frock or are just making your foray into the look, take note: It’s a bandage dress summer.