Warm Leatherette

If you have been following my blog for a while, you've probably noticed I like wearing clothing made of leather. I wouldn't call it a fetish, but I will admit to being drawn to the look, feel and scent of good quality leather. There is a primitive element to it - it's durable, and protects against the cold, wind and rain, which is why people have been using it for centuries to make clothing, shoes, bags, and even armor. The bitterly cold temperatures that we experienced this winter have made it perfect leather-wearing weather.

I'm not sure when my particular affection for leather began, but I do have fond memories of my first black leather pencil skirt, purchased at Le Chateau back in the 1980's when it was THE store to buy fun and trendy clothing. It was an expensive purchase for me at the time, especially as I was in the middle of what would become a 15 year stretch working in a variety of retail jobs for minimum wage. It also seemed somewhat exotic, and I felt sexy and powerful when I wore that skirt, and I kept it until it didn't fit me anymore.

Two of the first leather-clad style icons - Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale (left, with co-star Patrick Mcnee) and Diana Rigg (right) as Emma Peel, in their full on leather as worn on the series The Avengers

Another ass-kicking leather clad dame - Carrie Ann Moss as Trinity, from The Matrix film series

I don't have a leather catsuit (not that I wouldn't like to have one....) so I content myself with wearing pieces like this leather dress, found at Mesh Consignment Boutique for $25, which are a little more work friendly. It has short sleeves that snap on and off and given the snap detail at the neck, most likely had a collar that did the same, but unfortunately was missing.
In the last 10 years I developed an appreciation for leather pieces from the 1980's, with their gigantic shoulder pads, and bold shapes and colours.

The electric blue 1980's leather dress, complete with linebacker-size shoulder pads, found at Lovesick last winter. Alas, it's too tight in the waist now, so it's in a pile waiting to be passed on to another leather fan. If you're interested, email me and I'll give you the measurements.

Flaunting my 80's pegged leather pants - the brown ones on the left were purchased on Etsy and the grey ones on the right from The Sentimentalist. Alas, the grey ones are now too small in the waist (I'm sensing a pattern here) and were passed on to another cool dame.

One of my favourite leather items is the pair of leather and fabric pants I'm wearing in the photo above. I purchased them a few years ago from Danier Leather, when they were half price, and they have proven to be one of my cold weather staples. The leather pants I purchased at H&M last November turned out to be a very disappointing purchase as they ripped the third time I wore them, and when I took them to a seamstress, she said the leather was much too thin to have be used for pants. They weren't cheap in price, but obviously in quality. Lesson learned.

The leather corset belt I'm wearing in the photo above was purchased many years ago from Northbound Leather in Toronto. I have to loosen the lacing in the back much more now than I did when I bought it, but I still feel kinda sexy and awesome when I wear it. It's the perfect accessory for those of us for whom nature didn't see fit to provide natural curves.

In addition to the pieces in the photos above, there's also a couple of leather jackets and 3 leather skirts in different colours and finishes. So yeah, maybe there is a wee bit of a fetish going on.....

The most recent addition to the leather collection, found at The Sentimentalist. It fits like the proverbial glove, and the A-line skirt makes it more funky and less "hooker". I will be wearing it over a t-shirt or turtleneck with tights and chunky boots, to further reduce the chances of being mistaken for one of the local working girls.
How do you feel about wearing leather, aside from the ubiquitous moto jacket that seems to have a place in everyone's closet?