The bandage dress revival is the invisible string that ties Kaia Gerber, Hailey Bieber, and even Michelle Obama together. On December 15, the former First Lady offered Gerber and Bieber's red carpet staple a proper TV close-up on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Hervé Léger—the designer behind the '90s-era elasticized midis—crafted a custom bandage for Obama's final TV appearance of 2025. Stylist Meredith Koop and the French atelier sourced the Fall 2025 collection's $1,350 Ella Gown for inspiration. Obama's final look mirrored the runway midi's long sheer sleeves and mesh mock neck, before turning opaque at the bodice.
In true bandage form, monochrome elastic strands stacked horizontally from Obama's squared neckline down to her calf-grazing hem. Hervé Léger offers the Ella Gown in black and red, but this time, designers introduced Kewahi Blue. Perhaps Koop and Obama chose the cool-toned teal after seeing it on Winter 2026 runways from Victoria Beckham, Etro, JW Anderson, Tory Burch, and Fendi.
Obama's bandage took center stage alongside a diamond stud earring stack. She traded a necklace for the brooch trend, which sparkled atop her bodice. The three-dimensional flower was a perfect color match to her dress.
Together, the mesh long-sleeve, bandage midi, and brooch looked ready to host a holiday party. Don't be shocked if your cousins arrive at Christmas Eve dinner in a lookalike trio. The Michelle Obama Effect knows no bounds.
The White House isn't exactly bandage dress-friendly, as proven by Obama's non-skintight styles during her husband's presidency. Since exiting the presidential suite, however, she's still pledged allegiance to wide-leg trousers and flowing skirts aplenty. (See her multi-color Loewe Spring 2026 dress on The Look book tour.)
Red carpet celebrities, on the other hand, are spearheading the bandage dress renaissance. At the 2024 Toronto Film Festival, Gerber sourced Cindy Crawford's archives for an original Hervé Léger bandage design. Gerber was the spitting image of her mother in the white balconette bandage dress, which she wore to the 1993 Academy Awards with then-husband Richard Gere.
By April, the slim bandage silhouette returned to the red carpet. The 2025 Fashion Trust Awards welcomed Bieber in a bandage-inspired Saint Laurent gown, which featured delicate criss-cross drapery down her plum-colored bodice.
Everyone who's anyone pulled off bandage dresses in the 2010s, including Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Paris Hilton. Now, over 30 years after the style's Fall 1992 runway debut, bandages are still the talk of the town. At this rate, Obama's endorsement could inspire your local politicians to test one on the campaign trail.
