While working with the same material season after season is bound to be creatively constricting at times, designers Max and Lubov Azria continue to push things forward by ramping up the label’s separates and exploring different fabrication techniques. For the Hervé Léger Pre-Fall 2014 collection, the duo updated several of their hallmark body-con cocktail dresses with hand-dyed strips in a range of watercolor “sunset” hues. Elsewhere, they incorporated panels of soft chenille mesh or embroidered gold chains for a built-in bling effect.

The freshest looks here emphasized layering. A hooded sweatshirt featuring an engineered landscape print had modern appeal paired with an ombré-striped trumpet skirt; ditto for a graphic peplum top and its matching pencil skirt, which could be broken up and styled as desired. Altogether, the lineup felt familiar but still managed to present a few new and promising ideas for the brand.