If you have seen a lot of leather in the stores, it's not just you, leather is definitely is a trend this fall and not just in jackets. You will be seeing leather in dresses, skirts, tops, and more. It has been shown in casual looks as well as professional ones.
Leather lends itself well to fun, casual looks. Wearing leather professionally, however, can be much trickier to figure out because striking the perfect balance to make leather workplace appropriate can seem difficult. In today's post, I am going to give you some tips on how to wear leather to work.
Professional Ways to Wear Leather to Work
Outfit #1
A leather skirt is one of the easiest ways to professionally add this trend to your work wardrobe. It adds some variety to your skirt styles and is on the bottom half of the body making it simple to add some more professional pieces on top. When choosing a leather skirt, be sure to choose a style that is long enough to be appropriate for the office (no leather minis for work unless you plan on wearing very dark opaque tights and flat shoes.) Avoid overly embellished with statement zippers or other loud details on your work skirts. A simple pencil or a-line style is the best route to go.
In this outfit, I styled this olive pencil skirt from Reiss with a burgundy reversible charmeuse tank from Lafayette 148 and a tweed blazer from Carlisle. I finished the look with burgundy pumps from Calvin Klein, station necklace from Anna Beck and All Saints tote in warm grey.
Outfit #2
Leather can add some edge to more classic or traditional work pieces in your wardrobe. The classic pieces also make the edgier nature of leather look more professional. Looking at the example of the outfit above, I styled a classic grey belted sheath dress from BOSS Hugo Boss with a leather blazer from Theory. I finished the outfit in an understated manner using black suede boots from Cole Haan, studs from Monica Vinader and a black bag from Madewell.
Outfit #3
One of my clients bought one of the most perfect leather sheath dresses from Saks 5th Avenue which you can check out here. Leather dresses, well leather in general, can be expensive and out of the budget range for a lot of women. Plus, if you see it as a fleeting trend, not worth spending a lot of money on.
In addition, some women just don't want to wear leather clothing and prefer going the vegan route. Faux leather is a completely fine alternative. However, it is important to choose well made vegan leather if you plan on wearing it to the office. Not to mention, faux leather can cause a lot of sweating. I had a pair of fake leather pants that caused tremendous sweating around my waist from the waistband.
I styled this BOSS faux leather sheath dress for work that can easily be worn alone. A blazer or cardigan can also be added like I did with my favorite cardigan from MM. Lafleur that every client buys once they try it on. This gives the leather, or faux leather in this case, a softer look. I finished the look with tan pumps from Sam Edelman, a collar necklace from Stella & Dot and red bag from Tory Burch.
Outfit #4
Leather pants can often look like jeans can be tricky to wear in corporate environments and are better left to casual Fridays or business casual work environments. I styled this Lafayette 148 pair for this type of workplace using a camel cardigan from L.K. Bennett, a silk tee from Theory, Aquatalia flats in cognac, tortoise pendant from Stella & Dot and tan bag from Vince Camuto.
You can wear leather to work if you style appropriately, and with these tips you'll be able to.
