Controversial designer behind Gisele Bundchen's opening ceremony dress
RIO DE JANEIRO — The dress worn by Gisele Bundchen on her dramatic walk across the Maracana Stadium during Friday night’s opening ceremony was created by a maverick Brazilian designer who once claimed to have invented jeans that could cure cellulite.
Gisele, the world’s highest paid supermodel, slid across the main floor of the stadium in a memorable moment that brought the beginning of the Olympic Games to life, accompanied by the iconic tune "The Girl From Ipanema."
Her sashaying performance attracted worldwide attention, with much of the focus being on the shimmering gold sequined column gown constructed by Alexandre Herchcovitch.
“I didn’t want a conventional gold, but a color that was very similar to her hair tone and skin,” Herchcovitch told Vogue recently.
Herchcovitch was hand-picked for the task by Gisele, and has created clothes for countless Brazilian and international celebrities.
However, he is also not afraid to make headlines with attention-grabbing stunts and comments.
In 2013, Herchcovitch launched a new range of jeans that could trap heat between the denim and the skin of women’s legs, creating infrared rays that would destroy cellulite. Unsurprisingly, the concept didn’t quite catch on.