Good morning, Monday. I'm hanging in Soho today and very much enjoying the chill in the air- yesterday my sister and her husband cam
e to town and we had a wonderful day exploring the Brooklyn Flea and cruising around Williamsburg as well as my hood. Both my sis and I love the Fall, so yesterday's chilly air had us happy and hopeful for a dip in the mercury. I don't do well in heat at all and am grateful for the seasons begining to show their ch-ch-ch-changes.
So with all of this Fall frolicking, I'm going to post about my favorite fashio ntrends for Fall 2012 this week, of which there are severa. Today I'm going to talk about leather, which is no longer the macho, stiff, tough material you associate more with bikers than uptown babes. Regardless of whether you've rocked a leather piece in the past, you're going to want one this Fall- because leather is everywhere and it's less Peter Marino (though we love him) and more soft, ladylike, and feminine yet still cool as all get out. I myself am craving this fabulous little jacket from DKNY as well as this leather dress from Vince- I have wanted a deconstructed leather jacket for some time (think Rick Owens) to wear almost as a cardigan over tees and jeans and skimpy dresses. This one is absolutely perfect. Oh, and this leather dress? I love its softness and flow- amazing on its own or layered with a turtleneck and either wool tights or skinny jeans, maybe even in a sueded fabric. And if you are not a black leather type, Donna's also making a cream version of a jacket that will take you anywhere- of course I'd rock it with a skinny black knee length dress to lighten up the silhouette a tick.
And if you are more of a toughskins like me (I adore a more rock and roll thing as you know), check out Alexander Wang's homage to leather- what is sexier and sleeker and more downtown than this look? I'm mad for it. Nobody does urban and cool like him- I love love love his ability to go from day to night and everything in between and just be so perfectly in step with the way women want to feel today- a bit tough, a lot strong, and full on sexy.
Basically, leather was absolutely everywhere, these looks below (l-r Hermes, Maiyet, Celine) from the Paris runways are proof positive that we've got a bona fide leather love lust happening, and though you may not rock leather from head to toe, you can get in on the trend by hitting up a leather detail like a sleeve, patch, or waxed jean that has that leather vibe. Oh, and lest you animal rights types are hesitant to do real leather, I understand. That's why designers like Derek Lam are rocking fake leather with great success, shown on the dress below, and Stella McCartney always does options of non leather that are super cool as well.
But two of my fav looks are below for those that just want to dip a toe and not jump all the way in- adore the Phillip Lim number below (dig the casual baseball jersey detail) as well as another piece from Alex Wang that I find super sexy:
