Leather. Because we want to be BAD. No? Just me?
10 experts give their leather hot (or not) takes
Come fall, all the stories come out, sure as PSLs. Sweaters! Boots! Suede! And we got the denim roundup to end all roundups via (obvs)
.Alongside all of it, on the warm climate side of things, all the wistfulness. No seasons! No leaf peeping! No sweater weather! (Also in Florida, so many guns, but let’s not digress.)
And yet, no talk about my biggest fall fantasy of all: leather.
Danny Zuko. Arthur Fonzarelli. Maverick. Leather tells us they are BAD ASS. Some of us wanted to tussle with them and get to their tender little hearts. But don’t we actually want to BE them?
I have this image in my head of
in a Tibi leather skirt with a tank top. Maybe in her back yard. It’s stayed with me a longgggg time. She was wearing leather in summer. So why couldn’t I wear leather for “Florida fall”?In my mind, leather is the most appealing of all things I deem “fall.” It speaks to my inner desire to be a badass. Without smoking, tattooing, or (actually) piercing anything. Without leaving my husband, quitting my job, roadtripping solo (or worse, stopping at the Hertz guy), or staying up past bedtime. Also I won’t skip flossing. Or a daily mom and dad call. So I really, really need the leather to do some work for me.
I was excited to reach out to some of my Substack buddies and learn that everyone agrees with me and cannot WAIT to get out their fall leather.
I was excited to reach out to some of my Substack buddies and learn that everyone agrees … and cannot WAIT to get out their leather.
Naysayers, Maysayers
Leather, like denim, is quintessential Americana at its core, so the first person I went to was
, aforementioned the Queen of the Jean.She responded right away, and my hot little fingers couldn’t wait to stab that email open: “Hi Rachel, Gee. I haven’t bought a single piece of leather clothing since I left NYC (in 2020). I’ve thought about leather as it compares to denim - they’re the only two garment materials that weather and get better with age. But leather doesn’t match my life needs right now (Southern California with two small kids). Or, for whatever reason, I haven’t been drawn to wearing it as more than an accessory. This is not much help to you, I’m sorry!”
Huh. Ok. I was undeterred, and honestly, intrigued. And mildly concerned. Maybe I a) don’t know much and/or b) am a little toooooo interested. (I was, honestly, RIVETED by some of those Billions eps. with the boots! Hmmm.)
I started nosing around on The Row’s web site. After all don’t all roads lead to The Row? (Even if IMHO some of their handbag roads lead backwards to Hermes.) If THE BRAND The Row didn’t have anything new and leather, maybe I was at the end of the (gulp) road.
Oh, hello LUVAH.
I landed on the Lysander. Clearly a hero piece for the hero brand of fashion-y folk. See, fall IS leather time. With that in mind, I wrote to my friend
, Queen of all things The Row. Surely she’d have leather on the brain.“I don’t specifically look at leather items for fall/winter because oddly, I find they make me feel cold!” (Oh, Canada!) “Also, the colour isn’t as rich as say, suede. Black looks dull in leather but rich in suede. Generally speaking I look more at wool in the winter. Not sure that helps. I do love my suede pieces that I bought late summer.”
“Send a pic,” I sighed. Because anyway, who doesn’t want an inspiring pic of Neelam in suede?
“This is how I incorporate suede.” she said. Her suede chocolate skirt from Massimo.
Oh but wait, one other morsel at the end of that DM: “And I have a leather wrap skirt from them I may wear too.” (aha! found her in it here)
Me: I thought you were going to be dreaming of the Lysander leather jacket! (Note, this kind of baiting is not very journalistically appropriate.)
Neelam: “I tried it on in the showroom and fell in love. It smelled like it came fresh from the tannery!!”
K.
“I haven’t worn a lot of leather in recent years beyond a vintage leather blazer and moto jacket and it’s not on my must-have list at the moment,” said my friend
.But wait, there was a followup!
“However, I picked this statement Alexander McQueen corset up at a consignment store last year and I can’t wait to find an occasion to wear it!”
Ok! And bad-ass indeed! Poor Maverick wouldn’t get a second look with Irene in the picture.
I was super curious to chat with Julian Randall, a fashion expert who writes for Essence and more, and was himself a recent subject of an interview by Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode about the state of fashion. I am deeply enamored with his style. He’s always been in my corner, And my corner has leather in it, so…
Alas. “There might’ve been a time when fall brought leather to mind. I guess it still does, or we’re often told that it should, when it comes to fragrance. But now I think tweed, mohair, cold-proof wools. Seasons can be great for setting or channeling moods, and materials are a very small part of that story for me.” Still he was able to grant me this: “I alternate between two brown leather bags during the week. One is vintage. The other is Comme des Garçons. They’re great and I’d love them even more if they were pebble grained. That said, I’ve got my eye on a Fendi Peekaboo ISeeU Medium in grey.”
Getting warmer
How about my (much) younger, warm-weather sister,
? Would she have any leather longing? “I associate leather with cooler weather, and my younger years in New York. I had so many fabulous leather pieces when I was younger (leather leggings! mini dresses!) that I've since sold as my lifestyle is so different (cozy homebody 40-something vs. young(ish) gal about town!)” (Ed. note: You are still a young bad ass to me, my friend!)“In theory, I am very excited about leather,” wrote Grace. “I am seeing so many great pieces out there from wide leg trousers to the *newsletter* jacket by Kallmeyer. In practice, it is a little bit harder as it's still quite warm in Charleston. This goes for so many of my other favorite things ... tall boots, fuzzy sweaters! There is a 2-3 month window here where these things get a lot of wear but it won't be for a few more months.
“My most worn leather piece is a pair of leather shorts from Tibi (I know [you’re] a big Tibi fan so was excited to share this!). I'll pair them with a button-down or even a barn jacket (on a rare cooler day). I feel like they add a little bit of cool into what has become a more feminine wardrobe. (Grace’s shorts are past season; she pointed me to these as an alt. Here’s a YOOX pair that looks promising, too.)
Across the pond (have always wanted to say that), my friend Anna of
was ready and waiting with her wishlist item. Again, Massimo, which is interesting. When I visited the store in Mexico, I did note that their leather bags were a favorite offering.
“I’m loving this more short and cropped fit,” Anna wrote. “A lot of my jackets are quite oversized, so this feels like it adds some versatility. I’ll be popping a uniqlo thermal layer underneath to make it something I can wear once the chill sets in.”
And out in Melbourne Australia (also warm rn, and which I associate with chic black clothes), stylist Sally McKinnon came through with her formula: “I love to wear black leather trousers as an alternative to jeans and pants. Leather adds textural interest to an outfit, and particularly when I wear all black I like to mix leather with other textures and fabrics like a sheer blouse, suede boots, silk shirt or a chunky woollen jumper.”
“I see leather pieces as nice-to-have luxuries.” -Liza Belmonte
is incredibly thoughtful about the way she approaches and advises around all things shopping/style. No surprise, she was incredibly thoughtful when I asked her whether she thought of leather along side other fall “standards”: “This is personal because I don’t believe in the concept of wardrobe basics or closet essentials that are universal to everyone, but I see leather pieces as nice-to-have luxuries. Most aren’t exactly versatile: leather pants won’t be the easiest to style, and a leather jacket won’t be the most practical (the weather has to be just right for it, and that weather doesn’t come around much where I live). I have always seen a sheepskin leather (shearling) jacket and a leather trench coat in my future. But because of that ‘nice-to-have luxuries’ perception, they were more nebulous fantasies than bullet points on a wishlist. Something to buy when the stars align - the perfect piece at the right time with a budget to match.” Like me, Liza has nostalgic and emotional associations, too. “The shearling jacket, in particular, triggered a nostalgic longing. I grew up seeing my parents wear the shearling jackets they bought in their twenties. They’re still wearing them now, decades later. In my mind, a shearling jacket was a quintessentially timeless purchase. Perhaps this unveils the true definition of the highly controversial concept of timelessness - something deeply personal to each individual. What is timeless to you is what you have witnessed being worn over time for the longest time. The stars aligned earlier this year when the Totême shearling coat I had been lurking over for three years found itself on sale. I pulled the trigger. It’s not even been a whole year, but I can already say it was the best purchase I have ever made. I view leather pieces not as fall/winter essentials but as few-in-a-lifetime earthly delights that are worth the wait and should be cherished like personal heirlooms.
Hot child(ren) in the city
Interesting that the two friends whose leather POV came closest to mine are in LA. Land of movie making, storytelling, and, at least in my fantasy, a birthplace of cool. Where it’s warm but (at least in my imagination) you get to wear jackets at night.
I mean, of course my good/bad influence
is team leather! She’s not only a bad Influence, “badass” is part of her whole ESSENCE. (Honestly, being friends with her is one of the cooler things about me ;-)) “For fall, I get most excited about pulling out my tall leather boots and heavier leather jackets. I splurged on the Miu Miu buckle boots last spring and can’t wait to wear them more frequently.” Also, Liz was ready to influence us all with this: “I definitely don’t *need* this, but it’s a great price on an Acne leather jacket for anyone considering the investment.”
Ok, are you ready for this because I can’ttttttt. When the text pinged from my friend
and I saw this photo, I squealed so piercingly that my most sluggish cat jumped off my lap. From the pants to the thong sandal to the low pony, she just looks hot, but also like class personified. I feel like this plus a blazer is very office chic for many of us. (If I worked in an office, I hear myself saying something like “We’re gonna need a bigger budget! Meeting adjourned!” in this.)When the text pinged from my friend Harriet and I saw this photo, I squealed so piercingly that my most sluggish cat jumped off my lap.
Here’s what Harry texted: “For me leather, or the look of leather offers up a different texture to play with. Living in LA means I have to wait some time before it’s genuinely cool enough (because no one wants a Ross of Friends situation). This means I often wear it with my Toteme T sandals, a soft cotton tee and some antique jewelry. As a curvy girl I’m also making up for the years I didn’t believe I could wear leather pants, the Abercrombie curve love straight leg ones I’m wearing here were a game changer. If I do travel somewhere colder then a slouchy knit is my go to.”
And I couldn’t leave you without two other city folks who’ve influenced me. (Both on IG, not here — yet!)
First, Abisola Omole, ceo/creative director @studio.arva and @drink.arva. This sense of luxurious, sexy confidence is the kind of thing leather brings to my mind.
And this one is Grace Molina, Tibi senior stylist, who uses leather/faux leather so creatively (it’s all over her feed). What amazed me in this particular look was just how sporty and unserious leather can get, too.
Dip into it
Interested in a little autumn badassery, my cherished paid subscribers? I picked out a few favorite pieces for you on TRR, including some from my own Obsessions list (and if you want more, LMK in the comments):
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