It’s no great secret that the humble leather jacket has become a wide-spread wardrobe staple over the last few Winters. As a fashion trend in 2010, however, women’s leather clothing is being taken to a whole new level.
Leather Clothing
Leather in 2010 can take the form of pretty much any item of clothing. If you can name it the odds are that someone’s sent it down the runway in leather. Pants, skirts, shorts, coats, capes, vests; they’re all there. Hermes even pulled out a full leather jumpsuit as part of their aviation-themed collection.
Gwen Loos: new takes on leather (14 Jul 2011)
Hana Soukupova: restrictive refinement
Olivia Palermo: Birkin bicycle
Rosie, whips and horses: more Rankin
Constance: constantly chic workwear
The magic of styling: Guess by Marciano
Magdalena: dark and enchanting
Anna Selezneva: black on black
Annabella Barber wears leather in Sydney
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley leathers up for Vogue Spain
Julia Nobis: tulle & grunge in Russh
Bambi Northwood-Blythe rocks leather for Aje
Doutzen Kroes dark & seductive for Numero
Street style: blue leather & layers
Leather hot pants in Elle Spain
The ultimate in leather corsetry
Trendspiration: Kate Moss rocks leather
Caroline Sieber and an affair with leather shorts
Givenchy's dark dreams, Fall 2010
High-waisted leather shorts from Friend of Mine
Hints of leather from Bottega Veneta Fall 2010
Beach Bunny brings leather to the bikini
Derek Lam goes West for Autumn / Fall 2010
Leather from Ohne Titel for Fall 2010
All Chanelled up, somewhere to go
Lara Stone is a bad girl by Philip Riches
Leather Underwear
With lingerie as outerwear a major fashion trend, it’s no surprise that this trend will move into the realm of leather underwear. Bondage elements like harnesses and leather straps are creeping their way into mainstream fashion; while the likes of even Yves Saint Laurent have seen daring leather corsetry pieces hit the runway.
Es-Trella's to-die-for leather cage top (16 Jun 2009)
Leather Accessories
While of course leather bags and belts are nothing new, leather in other types of accessories will, in 2010, be much more common. Leather leggings were huge on the Autumn(Fall)/Winter 2010 runways.
High-waisted leather leggings from Aritzia (26 Mar 2009)
How to wear it
Whilst some collections – like the afore-mentioned Hermes Autumn(Fall)/Winter 2009/2010, and Donna Karan Autumn(Fall)/Winter 2009/2010 – used leather pieces for a classic vintage-inspired look, most 2010 leather fashion pieces fall into the rock-chic and fetish camps. Balmain epitomised the look with tiny skin-tight leather minidresses, as did Miss Sixty with their zip-covered leather hotpants. (See ‘Inspiration’ below for pictures)
Colors
While 2009 fashion color trends featured a vast array on leather colours, the leather in 2010 will revolve around monochromatic and earthy tones.
Yes, Elise Overland‘s 2010 collection may feature the likes of teal-green, but such colours are never going to find mass appeal.
Rather, expect to see a big comeback for grey leather, precipitated in part by Rodarte and their grey thigh-high boots. Black is, of course, a safe and unwavering option though if you’re after a country-inspired looks opt for tans and browns.
Inspiration
Looking for a little inspiration for this 2010′s women’s leather fashion trend? Click on the thumbnails below to peruse the full sized pictures. You’ll find everything from leather jackets to leather mini-dresses.
