Kim Anne Castro

Going Out Out


Relishing the perfect weather to go out on outdoor coffee dates and to get clad in layers and leather, nothing less.


Once upon a time, leather was solely associated to rock stars, motorbike gangs and handsome bad boys like James Dean; it was deemed a difficult look to pull off. Now with myriad of options, leather has become a classic wardrobe staple, and with the many alternatives such as faux and vegan leather, it has become an easy wear. A trendy take is clashing leather with other textures as spotted in the collections of Louis Vuitton, Prada, Proenza Schouler and more for SS15.
Not too long ago, for us dwellers of the warmer bit of the world, getting clad in leather was a downright ridiculous idea. I've lived fourths of my life in this small, wealthy, usually overly sun-drenched city called Doha, and so it's not quite surprising that my closet now brims with flimsy chiffon pieces, lightweight pullovers and a slew of denim jeans that allow for lazy dressing. In a normally sweltering habitat as this, spending a day out donning an extra layer of skin* is an equivalent of shedding blood, sweat and tears - quite literally sweat and tears. Believe me when I say not even warm-weather leather** is Middle-Eastern-summer-friendly.
Gone are those smoldering days, nonetheless, as the temperature dips down to half a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Half a hundred degrees. I recall, this time of the year last year, one of my professors laughed at me when he quizzed me about "winter" in this region and I frankly responded that the temperature has plunged to 50 degrees and it's been very chilly. Apparently, winters in Hatfield often involve negative degrees in Celsius. We're hugely lucky, winter climate-wise, so to speak. The ideal weather to wrap ourselves up in chic layers and go out for outdoor coffee dates, park strolls, and sports festivities, quite obviously with the Qatar ExxonMobil Open wrapped up just a few days ago and the 2015 Handball World Championship currently happening. I hope this is yearlong though everybody knows this will only last for a few months, if not weeks.
I often talk about the weather as, naturally, it's one of the many - most of which indiscernible - considerations that influence what one wear each day. When the brisk weather hit our streets, for instance, I unthinkingly summoned this biker jacket that was posted in the corner of the scarcely used garments in my wardrobe and paired it up with my otherwise go-to chiffon-and-denim ensemble and a head-turning pair of neon shoes.
*With skin I meant animal hide. **If you're thinking small leather details, e.g. lining, piping, pockets or panels, nope, still not ideal.
WHAT I WORE: Choies leather jacket; Chicwish top; Forever 21 jeans; Dorothy Perkins flat clutch; Jeffrey Campbell shoes
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