pring Summer 2009 is all about showing off curves in a body con (conscious) dress, and you don’t have to be super slim to wear it!

Initially the brainchild Hervé Léger in the 1985, the bandage dress, part of what is often categorized as the "bondage" trend, is the latest obsession in Hollywood. The body con dress is THE dress of the moment.

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Ever since the voluptuous Kate Winslet turned up at the premier of her film The Reader (New York December 3rd, 2008), in a figure-hugging black Hervé Léger bandage dress, according to Hello Magazine, women have been asking “where can I get that dress?" Kate looked equally as stunning at the UK premier of Revolutionary Road (January 18, 2009), in another black body-con dress, this time from Narciso Rodriguez.

The Hervé Léger dress has put designer Max Azria on the map. The label’s styles immediately inspired a host of celebrity-inspired dresses from high street labels such as Top Shop, Jane Norman, Lipsy and French Connection, although these do not necessarily have such figure-constricting power of a high-end designer dress.

What is a Bandage Dress?

The bandage dress, so named as it is made up of layers of elasticated fabric, woven around like a bandage, has miracle properties when it comes to figure shaping. The dress itself acts like a pair of magic pants, holding in unsightly bulges, clamping thighs together, lifting up the bust and straightening the back. Squeezing yourself into one is no mean feat and given its boa constrictor properties it is difficult to walk in and move about. However, just as women defy the pain of walking in high heels, the body con wow factor is worth it!

Designer Bandage Dresses

Hervé Léger is known in fashion circles as “the king of cling.” because of his passion for tight-fitting dresses. In 2008 the label was relaunched under new designer Max Azria, responsible for the sexy styles seen on the spring 2009 runways.

Other designers who favor the bandage dress include Christopher Kane, Proenza Schouler, Preen and two of Michelle Obama’s favorite designers Thakoon and Narsico Rodriquez. Find examples of bandage dresses at online designer shopping site, Net-a-Porter, such as Thakoon’s figure-hugging black and white party dress and Hervé Léger’s off-the-shoulder bandage dress, in a similar style to Kate Winslet’s.

Curves make a comeback in 2009, this is the season of the body conscious (body con) dress. Says Vogue executive fashion editor Calgary Avansino. “Designers who relish and appreciate a classically curvy female silhouette may be few and far between, but those who do…know exactly how to make “rounder” women feel sexy and proud of their physiques.” Such designers include Vivienne Westwood, Dolce and Gabbana, and Donna Karan.

How to Accessorize a Bandage Dress

Bandage style, gladiator sandals make the perfect partner to this body con dress. As the outfit is figure-huggingly sexy, contrast it with a loose blazer for some extra fashion cred. Legs need to be bare, so it could be time for that fake tan!

A Dress for Curvy Women?

Whilst slimline Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole and Leona Lewis are big fans of the body con dress, fuller-figures can wear it. Such are the properties of the bandage dress that the UK’s Sun newspaper ran a feature on December 10, 2008 entitled "Can a size 16 wear Kate’s bandage dress?" putting a size 16 model, Nese Halil, in a Hervé Léger dress.The verdict — ”It’s so tight that it feels as though it is the wrong size but you can’t deny it really holds you in.”

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