Kate Winslet, Kim Kardashian and Miranda Kerr. Photos / Getty Images
Kate Winslet, Kim Kardashian and Miranda Kerr. Photos / Getty Images
The fashion boss whose damning comments on female body shapes were exposed has been forced out of his job after provoking outrage.
Patrick Couderc's bizarre declaration that "voluptuous" and older women, as well as "committed lesbians", should not wear Herve Leger's famed "body-conscious" bandage dresses went viral.
He was accusedof being "lesbophobic", a "body fascist" and ageist as readers vented their anger online.
The owners of the French brand, worn by stars such as Kim Kardashian, acted swiftly to distance themselves from the outlandish statements last week.
Within 24 hours of the comments, they announced that Mr Couderc, managing director of the fashion brand's UK licensor MJH Fashion, was no longer with the company.
He had voluntarily offered his resignation. Even by the hyper-sensitive standards of the fashion industry, the 54-year-old's remarks were puzzling. He said "voluptuous women and those with very prominent hips and a very flat chest" should not wear the NZ$3050 skintight creations.
"If you're a committed lesbian and you are wearing trousers all your life, you won't buy a Herve Leger dress. Lesbians would want to be rather butch and leisurely."
The iconic bandage dress - so-called because it is made from strips of stretchy fabric like bandages wound around the body - was pioneered in the 1980s and has since been worn by a host of celebrities from Elle Macpherson to Victoria Beckham, Kate Winslet and Miranda Kerr.
Mr Couderc told The Mail on Sunday that he refused to give free dresses to celebrities if they are judged to lack sufficient class.
He added that many ordinary women should not be wearing his dresses.
The Herve Leger by Max Azria brand and its parent company said they were shocked and appalled by the comments, adding: "The statements made by Mr Couderc are not a reflection of Herve Leger by Max Azria or MJH Fashion ideals or sentiments."
