Cynthia Cheng Mintz

The theme for Herve Leger by Max Azria’s Fall/Winter 2011 line was “The Glamazon” according to pre-show interviews.  Not straying too much from past collections of uber-tight dresses, Fall/Winter 2011 consisted of a great deal of bling and shine.  Unlike many other collections, there is an emphasis of showing off the knees, with the majority of dresses being on the shorter side.  This is likely because of structure.  The dresses are so form-fitting that it would be extremely difficult to walk if they were any longer. 

Shape-wise, most of the dresses were a slim pencil.  In fact, it was kind of predictable as to what was coming up.  Nearly half the collection was predictable, with pencil after pencil, just with different detailing, whether it be “bling” (which was supposed to represent the amazon warrior woman) or pattern.  Non-pencil pieces included some longer dresses, cropped pants as well as A-line minis and a knee length coat (which we at DelectablyChic! actually loved!).

It’s interesting to note the size of the dresses – it looked too small even for the models.  The runway, which was shaped like a square U, meant that viewers watching online could see the models’ profiles.  Since it showed the girls’ tummy bulges (and yes, these models had them), it meant that the dresses were too small.  This was to the point that one online viewer noted the ability to zip up a dress doesn’t mean that it fits.  And while yes, the big belts and bling did bring out the “amazon” in the collection, the too-small dresses which showed more bulge than curve when seeing the models in profile was certainly not sexy or glamorous.