How to Wear... Leather

When I say leather, I do mean pleather (but it just doesn't sound as chic does it?!) - it's cheaper, can look just as good as the real thing, doesn't smell and isn't made from Old MacDonald's friends - what's not to love? Unbeatable for adding drama to any look, whether you tend towards heavy metal, vintage chic, sports luxe, oriental flower, boy-meets-girl, or 20% of all of the above - here followeth a few of my favourite looks and new season picks.

The Trousers
The Shorts
The Skirt
The Top
The Dress
The Jacket

The Trousers

Classic leather skinnies give a rock-chick-diva edge to any ensemble, and are great for giving a twist to tailored, feminine or casual separates. I like to team mine with a monochrome chiffon shirt and bow tie for a strong, feminine take on tuxedo-style androgyny, an obi-belted kimono and lace-up boots for a Geisha-meets-warrior feel, or a loose knit or band tee for a casual look with added oomph.

Trousers: Primark (Past Season)
Shirt: Primark (Past Season)
Bow Tie: Primark (Past Season)
Kimono: Primark (Past Season
Obi Belt: ASOS (Past Season)
Boots: Peacocks (Past Season)

For evening, they look great with a contrasting statement top and killer heels - a long, voluminous one like Kim's is great for disguising hips and tums, and a lighter shade minimises thighs.

Photo: thefashionspot.com

The Shorts

Like leather trousers, leather shorts look great with tops in contrasting styles and fabrics - black shorts lend themselves to a sharp, rock chick look, teamed with studs, spikes and fringing, whilst chocolate brown is softer and pairs perfectly with pale neutrals and feminine shapes and fabrics, such as lace (see this post). For AW, a long sleeved polo, opaque tights and heeled loafers make for a simple but elegant look, especially when dressed up with feminine jewellery and detailing, like these statement ruched shoulders.

Shorts, top, shoes and necklace: All Primark (Past Seasons)

The Skirt

Leather neatly and cheekily subverts classic skirt shapes, such as the pencil and skater, for a butter-wouldn't-melt/ladylike-meets-dominatrix vibe. Great for evening with a sexy-but-sophisticated top (think peplums, Baroque embroidery and sheer panels, like the one in the next section), but don't rule them out for day either - try teaming with a slinky knit in a simple colour palette for vintage-chic-with-a-twist (below), doubling up on your leather (see next section), or pairing with a sloppy tee or sweater, metallic tee or bomber jacket (see here) for a sports-luxe feel.

Skirt: Topshop (Past Season)

Jumper: Primark (Past Season)

Collar: Freedom at Topshop

Shoes: Peacocks (Past Season)

If you haven't invested in your own pleather pencil yet, pop this gorgeous George at ASDA number, £14(!), into your trolley next time you're nipping in for a pint of milk.

And after searching since last AW for my perfect pleather skater, I let out this week's first gasp of delight when I picked up this one from Primark today, for just £12! It has a beautifully full, structured shape - one of those "even better on" buys - can't wait to style it up!

The Top

A perforated airtex/liquid leather-style T-shirt gives sports luxe a dramatic spin, and looks great half-tucked into jeans with studded boots and a statement waistband-skimming multi-strand necklace for a more casual sports-rock look, or doubled up with a leather skirt or shorts for optimum wow factor.

Top: Primark (AW12)
Skirt: Topshop (Past Season)
Shoes: Primark (Past Season)

More structured leather tops, such as peplum styles, are great for evening, teamed with a leather pencil skirt or skinnies, or with contrasting fabrics such as velvet or denim. Go for full-on leather, or mix with sheer panels and embellishment, as in this stunning River Island example - it just needs a skinny waist belt to hide the join between the peplum and main body.

The Dress

The leather shift dress is a great style-up-or-down AW staple. Fit 'n' flare styles are more forgiving and more likely to fit adequately off-the-rack than bodycon styles, although a perfectly-fitted fitted number could stun.

I'm keeping an anxious eye out for these two dresses from Primark's new collection to drop - they'll look fab with chunky tights and boots, a blazer and hat for day, and killer heels and statement belts and necklaces for evening.

The Jacket

No homage to leather would be complete without a word or two on the biker jacket - you can see four of my five-strong collection here, here and here. Don't feel you need to stick to classic styles, or black - cropped, embellished, metallic, coloured and stylised versions can all bring something different to a look - they can feminise and glamourise, as well as toughening up and toning down.

I must admit I'm not a huge fan of the leather-sleeved denim/parka/trench hybrid, but they're certainly not in short supply right now if that's your bag (and I may be eating my words at some point; I usually do eventually after swearing off a certain trend).

A final word of warning: You can find a leather jacket to go with almost any outfit, but beware if already sporting a leather-clad derrière - full on Hell's Angel is not necessarily a good look (although contrasting colours and/or styles could work) - try a blazer or cape for a sophisticated feel, or a statement bomber for a casual/sports-luxe vibe.

Tomorrow: How to Wear Velvet

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Essential Transitional Jackets and Coats: How to Stay Warm and Look Hot into AW

Every year, my mum reassures me that coats are the most important investment purchases you can make, as, for a significant proportion of the year, they're the first, and often only, thing most people see you in (at least in London!). This is surely a valid reason to collect as many as possible, to fit all possible outfits, occasions and whims. I've long ceased to be able to hang my own collection on hooks by the door - they inhabit their own "outerwear" wardrobe, which is now more crowded than either my "dresses, playsuits and jumpsuits" or "evening" wardrobes, and quickly growing to rival "tops" and "bottoms".

Here, I'm going to concentrate on the jackets and lightweight coats which will keep out those autumn chills which seem to have suddenly encroached on us. In a later post I'll be looking at faux fur and winter heavyweights.

The Blazer
The Retro Style
The Biker
The Military
The Cape
The Statement Bomber
The Statement Denim
The Statement Mac

The Blazer

Your first line of defence against those pesky trans-seasonal weather changes. Classic black keeps your look elegant and pared-back - try a boyfriend style for a casual, androgynous feel or a nipped-in peplum style for an ultra-feminine twist (scroll down to The Rara Ruffle in this post to see mine).

Blazer: Primark (AW12); Top: Primark (Past Season); Trousers: River Island (Past Season); Wedges: Peacocks (Past Season)

To add vibrance to a neutral, classic ensemble, try a colour pop blazer, or channel the heritage trend with tweed - I've chosen one with a structured hourglass silhouette and asymmetric hem to inject femininity.

Blazer: Primark (Past Season); Jeans: Miss Selfridge (Past Season); T-Shirt: H&M (Past Season); Scarf: Primark (Past Season); Boots: Dorothy Perkins (Past Season)

The Retro Style

The Classic Swing
The perfect way to add a vintage twist to a transitional outfit - this looks just as good thrown over a formal ensemble as jeans, or, indeed, dogtooth shorts. It's also a great shape for anyone concerned about their waistline.

I couldn't decide whether to lend these shorts a cute sixties-inspired monochrome look with the swing jacket, or a heritage feel, brought up to date with a subtle tweed-dogtooth print clash, courtesy of the blazer.

Swing Coat: Primark (Past Season)
Blazer: As Above
Shorts: River Island (SS12)
Shoes: Peacocks (Past Season)

The Woollen Peplum
The thick material makes this jacket perfect for keeping you snug throughout the colder months, whilst the structure and length stop it from swamping your figure or your outfit. It looks great with skinnies and midi skirts.

Jacket: New Look (Past Season)
Skirt: Jane Norman (Past Season)
Top: H&M (Past Season)
Scarf: Primark (Past Season)
Tights: Primark
Shoes: Dorothy Perkins (Past Season)

The Boucle
Sprinkled liberally throughout my other posts (like this one, this one and this one), a Chanel style boucle jacket adds a hit of restrained vintage elegance to almost any ensemble - a cropped version like mine is great for showing off a high-waisted skirt or peplum top.

The Biker

At the last count, I had five biker jackets - a classic cropped style in black (great for adding a hint of rock chick whilst still showing off your waistline/outfit), a black military style (featured in this post), a brand new metallic bronze version in a classic style, and two concealed-fastening, ruffle-necked, petal-waisted versions, in black and cream, below. The biker is unbeatable for adding a tough edge to a look, but colour and detail can really take it into another league.

Jacket: Primark (Past Season); Skirt: Jane Norman (Past Season); Blouse: Primark (Past Season); Boots: Primark (Past Season)

A black biker makes a striking contrast against feminine fabrics and shapes, but feminine detailing softens and brings the look together.

Jacket: Primark (Past Season); Trousers: Primark (SS12); Blouse: Primark (Past Season); Shoes: Peacocks (Past Season)

A pale neutral softens the look further, and looks great with tailored shapes, bright colours and other neutrals.

The Military

Yes, military is here to stay! Personally, I prefer the elegant lines and Edwardian drama of pre-21st century inspired pieces, rather than standard issue khaki and camo. A tailcoat-inspired jacket adds drama and grace to a casual ensemble, as well as rendering a beautiful silhouette.

Jacket: Primark (Past Season)
T-Shirt: Primark (Past Season)
Jeans: Miss Selfridge (Past Season)
Shoes: Topshop (Past Season)

Throw in a bit of rock chick riotousness with a (p)leather style (featured in this post) - great for revving up a sleek vintage-inspired look.

The Cape

Cape: Primark (Past Season); Jeans: Primark (Past Season); T-Shirt: H&M (Past Season); Necklace: Primark (Past Season); Shoes: Dorothy Perkins (Past Season); Gloves: Primark (Past Season)

Don't worry, I only have one of these, although it does have a hint of military, for bonus points! Another great way of adding vintage drama to your AW outfits. I love this style in classic camel, but cream, black and rich berry shades also look stunning. Choose a belted style like mine if you want to highlight your waist, or a swing style, like this one from the latest Dorothy Perkins collection, below, if you're more apple-shaped.

I think a slim lower-half silhouette works best with a cape, to balance out the volume on top - try skinny jeans or leather trousers, or tweed peg legs to reference the heritage trend.

One word of warning though - the wind can really whistle up those sleeves - long sleeved tops and/or long gloves are essential in frosty climes.

Cape: As Above; Trousers: Primark (SS12); Top: New Look (Past Season); Shoes: New Look (Past Season)

The Statement Bomber

Great for adding a kooky sports luxe/vintage twist to both casual and not-so-casual outfits - for added impact, clash the print or colour with other separates (see my head-to-toe leopard look here), or contrast against leather.

Jacket: Primark (SS12)
Skirt: Topshop (Past Season)
Boots: Primark (Past Season)

A Jacquard version like the one in this post from Primark's AW12 collection lets you take on the Baroque trend at the same time.

The Statement Denim

Denim jackets are great for helping you over the bridge from pretty summer dresses to boots and scarves. Additional detailing, like distressing, cropped length or statement shoulders, adds impact and looks great with midis, mixis or maxis, boots and slouchy knits for autumn.

Jacket: Peacocks (Past Season)
Dress: Love at Topshop (Past Season)
Shoes: Primark (Past Season)

The Statement Mac

Coat: New Look (Past Season); Dress: Primark (Past Season); Shoes: Dorothy Perkins (Past Season)

Yes, the trench coat is a timeless classic, but there are so many ways to make it more fun - I'm a sucker for ruffles and statement neck and sleeve detailing (see this post and this post) to add drama and femininity, and bright colours to enliven neutrals or block with other brights.

Coat: New Look (Past Season); Jumper: Bay (Past Season); Shorts: Primark (Past Season); Tights: Primark; Scarf: Primark (Past Season); Shoes: Dorothy Perkins (Past Season)

For a so-this-season statement, how about this gorgeous Baroque mac, £60 from Tu at Sainsbury's? Simply stunning!

Sleeveless versions are also great for this kind of transitional time - keep your arms bare, show off a statement shouldered top, or colour block your arms and legs!

Coat: Primark (Past Season); Dress: Primark (Past Season); Necklace: Primark (Past Season); Tights: Primark; Boots: Primark (Past Season)

The classic belted, A-line, mid-thigh cut looks chic with jeans and trousers, concealing a shorter skirt, or revealing a few inches of A-line midi or pencil skirt peeking from under the hem (as in this post and this post), but I'd usually show off a longer or asymmetric hemlime with a shorter jacket, or conceal more of it under a full-length coat.

More from my coat cupboard shortly, once the faux fur has been released from its summer vacuum packing, but tomorrow, I tackle (p)leather...

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How to Wear Casual Basics... With a Twist

To be honest, comfort is not my main priority when it comes to clothes shopping - if I buy a T-shirt or sweatshirt, it's because I'm thinking about how I can use it to tone down or edge up other things in my wardrobe, or, more likely, because I. just. can't. leave any kind of Take That or My Little Pony merchandise on the rail. But it's always fun experimenting with ways to style them which don't make you look like you've just rolled out of bed, or stolen your outfit from a tween.

A grey marl tee, white and black vest tops, denim shirt and neutral-toned knits are absolute musts for your "capsule" wardrobe, for adding a thrown-together edge to more high-octane separates, such as mini, midi and maxi skirts, and teaming with skinnies and a statement necklace or blazer for an easy chic look on those days when you don't have the time or energy to try too hard, or don't want to look like you've tried too hard... But in this post I'm going to concentrate on making a graphic tee or sweatshirt the focal point of a slightly more unusual look.

My three secret weapons for dressing up a tee or sweatshirt are leather, pencil skirts and colour, in any combination. I've seen some great grunge-fairy type looks, pairing them with floaty mixis and maxis or frothy tutus, but I tend to prefer a sharper silhouette.

With the Band

Leather skinnies and fierce ankle boots always look good teamed with a band tee for a classic rock chick look, balancing out and sharpening up a slouchy silhouette. Grey trousers, rather than the obvious black, give a bit of a twist, and tone in with a black and white photo print tee - try teaming coloured trousers with a coloured print tee if you're brave! A classic boyfriend blazer smartens the ensemble up without detracting from its carefree vibe.

T-Shirt: Primark (SS12)
Trousers: H&M (Past Season)
Blazer: Peacocks (Past Season)
Boots: Primark (Past Season)

The Coloured Pencil

A pencil skirt embues any ensemble with a touch of elegance and vintage-referenced put-togetherness, but bright colours hint at a subversive edge. You can leave a loosely-skimming tee or sweatshirt untucked for a more casual feel, or cinch in for a more ladylike vibe both. In terms of colour palette, the skirt shade can pick out tones in the top, clash with them or contrast against neutrals to add zing. Neon, true brights, muted shades and rich tones can all work. Team with colour pop heels to play on the fun vintage feel, or tough ankle boots to assert your rock chick credentials.

Look 1 - Sweatshirt: Primark (SS12); Skirt: Primark (Past Season); Boots: Primark (Past Season)
Look 2 - T-Shirt: Primark (SS12); Skirt: Limited Collection at Marks & Spencer (SS12); Shoes: Primark (SS12)

Going All The Way

And for the ultimate rock chick glamour puss effect, a leather pencil skirt can't be beaten. Try rocking coloured leather if you're after even more impact.

T-Shirt: Primark (Past Season)
Skirt: Topshop (Past Season)
Boots: Primark (Past Season)

Tomorrow: How to stay warm and look hot into AW: Essential transitional jackets and coats

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How to Wear... Sports Luxe

Spending so much of my time at dance classes and auditions, I rejoiced when the sports luxe bomb exploded - having to switch my swishy skirts and embellished tops for leggings and utilitarian lycra several days a week was just depressing. Whether you're genuinely sporty orrr... not so much, a nod to this trend is a great way to add a modern edge to your look, and keep that Olympic spirit alive.

The Dress
Introduced in my How to Wear... Neon post (styled with black heeled trainers), a bodycon cut, mini cut-outs and neon piping bring a touch of sex appeal to sporty. Wedge high-tops keep it casual but maximise leg length - colour blocked strappy heels would take it into evening.

Dress: Primark (SS12)
Trainers: River Island (Available Here)

Running Girl
An ensemble you could actually get away with at the gym/on a run, but given a fashion touch via the paperbag waist, neon piping, metallics and colour block layering.

Shorts: Primark (SS12)
Trainers: Skechers
Khaki Top: Topshop (SS12)
Cross-Over Front Red Sports Bra: Dans-EZ

Zip It
For more attention at the gym, or to bring the sportswear vibe into evening, swap the cotton layers for a zip-up crop, and the trainers for funky ankle boots (don't wear these on the treadmill though!). For AW, I'll layer on a sloppy off-the-shoulder knit/sweatshirt and opaques.

Shorts: As Above
Top: New Look (SS12)
Boots: Primark (Past Season)

The Sheer Panel Body
This is one of my favourite dance audition outfits (OK, I admit did wear flat high tops to dance in and just swapped the wedges in for the photos) - the lycra body and slashed-leg harems combine just the right amount of freedom of movement, sex appeal, contemporary freshness and not looking too ridiculous on the walk to the train station/to the shops afterwards.

I have many more plans for this top though - I think it will look gorgeous with black maxis, mixis and leather pencil skirts for AW (probably without the bra, which for obvious reasons is an essential for hardcore dancing!). This kind of item can also give you many more, and much more affordable, options for creating that leotard-under-skirt effect dress look - you can be more creative and spend less by investing in two pieces rather than one. Miss Selfridge and many other high street stores have a great selection, but if you're struggling to find your perfect body, do check out dance shops and dancewear websites - who cares if the only dancing you'll be doing in it is on the tables in Boujis!

Body: Miss Selfridge (Past Season)
Harem Pants: eBay
Trainers: River Island (Available Here)

The Day into Night

Another typical audition/sports daywear combination of zipped crop top, lightweight high-waisted trousers and high tops, which can be dressed down (as glamorously as possible) with a slouchy dancer vest or cropped hoody, but just as easily taken into full-on knockout evening mode with a metallic waist belt and cuffed heels. A modern beehive decorated with layered metallic hair bands, bringing the tones of the accessories together, adds punch and elegance.

Top: New Look (SS12)
Trousers: River Island (Past Season)
Hair Bands: Bay and Primark (Past Seasons)
Look 1 - Vest: Pineapple; Hoody: Primark (Past Season); Trainers: Skechers
Look 2 - Belt: Miss Selfridge (SS12); Shoes: Next (Past Season)

The Skirt
Trainers peeking out from under the hem of a diaphanous maxi skirt add a fun contrast in styles. A sharp-edged crop top adds impact, but a slouchy knit or sweatshirt would also look good layered on for AW.

Skirt: Jane Norman (Past Season)
Top: New Look (Past Season)
Trainers: River Island (Available Here)

High tops also add a cute, funky edge to girly skater styles - as in these looks sported by Lana del Rey and I - featuring the same River Island trainers!

This Season's Most Bargainous Sporty Buys

Actual gym lovers should check out H&M's sports collection - they even offer cute ski wear.

For sexy sheer-panelled bodies, check out Miss Selfridge and Primark.

And for those essential wedge high tops? River Island still has a great selection in, including my own go-with-everything off-white/grey pair (available here). Primark is also worth a look, and Matalan have come up trumps with some very cute AW styles, including this berry-toned pair, above, and nude/carpet print pair, below, £22 each - how much fun could you have incorporating these into your new season wardrobe?!

Tomorrow: How to wear casual basics... with a twist

See more posts featuring sports luxe looks here

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