Leather comes back on the fashion radar at leastevery other winter (except of course, at Stella McCartney who takes a politicalstance on such matters). This is vaguely baffling, considering the fact thatit's a look that's almost impossible to pull off without looking like awashed-up rock star, but hey, thats fashion for you.
Actually, you can wear leather without evoking questions about whateverhappened to Joan Jet and the Blackhearts anyway? If you wear it badged andpadded, you can look like a Hell's Angel. Or at least a Hells Angel'sgirlfriend. Or you can wear it faded and patched, and look like a 1970s PhDstudent, but the 1970s PhD student look has never exactly been a key fashiontrend, so it need not concern us. (note to trendsetters - there's a gap in themarket for a look influenced by 1970's PHD students!)
There are leather coats in the shops, but they take you a little far into therhelm of the call girl. Great if you like overweight businessmen trying to pickyou up on street corners, not so clever if you're out on a walk with the kids!
You might want to consider the most fashionable leather look of the season,which is a cropped, casual, fitted zip-up jacket worn over a cocktail dress andthick tights, with ankle boots.
However, it is kind of a young look and not easyto carry off if you are one of the aged 30plus Queens of Suburbia! at Nobodylikes the mutton dressed as lamb look! Or should that be cow dressed as calflook?
Some women can, Chrissie Hynde could still wear this convincingly - but it isbest approached with caution. It's a potential minefield, we all know somebodywho seems magntically drawn to every fashion mine ever laid, just make sure itisn't you! My rule of thumb is: if you still feel this is the true you, go forit, but if you feel like a fraud in it, then you probably look like a fraud,too.
So how to wear leather this season? Despite the pitfalls, Its actually not thathard. The best starting point with leather is a skirt. Remember the fabric ofany skirt has its own raunch-factor, which should be added to or subtractedfrom the hemline. Tweed for example, is passion killingly sensible and has a RFfactor about 4 inches, so a mid thigh tweed is only as raunchy as a knee lengthnormal skirt. Leather, on the other hand, has a RF of minus three inches,meaning anything shorter than mid-thigh is, in fact, positively obscene!
The good news? The leather revival does not extend to trousers. And for that weshould all be grateful! It's an offical fact (probably on wikipedia) the onlyperson in the history of the world, ever, who looked good in leather trousersis the late Micheal Hutchance of INXS.
About the author:
Mark Errington is Marketing Director at Englishfashion design house Queen Of Suburbia, specialising in
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