Just when you think that skin-tight, respiratory constricting and strategically cut-out bandage dresses by Hervé Léger by Max Azria can’t possibly get any more suggestive, fall 2012 comes along.

Two words for you: bondage and harnesses. Every single look that came down the runway was accessorized with some sort of strappy, buckled leather harness, be it waist-whittling corset belts, strapped-in vests, full-on bondage gear and in one instance a skirt-type contraption, which kind of hinted at a chastity belt but, then again, not really.

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Before we even got inside the tents we knew we were at a Hervé Léger show from the bevy of ladies sporting the label’s signature skintight dresses–probably not the most appropriate attire in the daytime, but then again, it’s hard to tell during Fashion Week. Actually, we’ve never seen more Hervé Léger dresses in the daytime before since…well, ever.

But there’s a reason so many attendees (non-industry, it should be said) showed up wearing the label’s duds–something, much more rare than say, at a Proenza Schouler show. Hervé Léger has stumbled on a formula that works, or should we say, a formula that sells–and the label, designed by Max and Lubov Azria, has never strayed far from it, producing season after season of skintight bandage dresses.

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The Hervé Léger show feels more like going to a rock concert than a fashion show. Showgoers are like groupies who all wear their concert tees (read: bandage dresses) to see their favorite designer live. This season, Max Azria’s crafted “inimitable suit[s] of armor.” The signature body-con dresses were in a neutral palette of beige, brown, black and white but adorned with gold hardware, silver chain, and leather harnesses. And while there were plenty of skin tight silhouettes, a flouncy A-line skirt was introduced to the mix, and there were even, gasp, a few pairs of pants. Max Azria front row pet Leigh Lezark was there, as was Karolina Kurkova, looking stunning as usual.

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