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Monday, May 21, 2012

CULTURE

Spring Surprise: Lightweight Leather & Suede

The spring fashion runways were awash with bold saturated silks, floaty floral prints and billowy sheer chiffons. But the distinct—and thoroughly unexpected—presence of lightweight leather clothing and suede styles has us rethinking our warm weather wardrobes.

From the polished minimalism at Michael Kors, Akris and Celine to the perforations, cut-outs and pailettes seen at 3.1 Phillip Lim, Marni and Chanel, the incorporation of leather into Spring fashion trends was clean and structured, but never clingy or constraining.  

Michael Kors, 3.1 Phillip Lim

LEATHER, Spring 2011 Runway Fashions: Michaek Kors (Photo by Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images), 3.1 Phillip Lim (Photo by Thomas Concordia/Contributor)

Suede looks at Derek Lam, Hermes and Ralph Lauren were elegantly fluid and a bit earthy, with a wink towards the '70s fashion trend that's so prevalent for the season. Other top fashion designers approached suede sparingly, but with an avant-garde twist: a loose, unstructured take on the motocross jacket from Alexander Wang; one-piece rompers from Max Mara; and at United Bamboo, crisp shorts and a mod dress in bright persimmon—the season's it shade.

Though perhaps not the first that come to mind when contemplating warm weather fabrics, spring leather and suede are perfect materials for the beginning and end of the season, especially when paired with tights and light layers.

United Bamboo, Max Mara

SUEDE, Spring 2011 Runway Fashions: United Bamboo (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images), Max Mara (Photo by Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images)

In an attempt to keep cool when temperatures soar, opt for lightweight fabrications and avoid body-hugging designs. Even the most basic, neutral shades of leather and suede are rich in texture and tone, and should be the centerpiece of your outfit. Both look luxuriously chic when styled with simple sandals and more delicate, contrasting fabrics like linen and silk.  

And if the mere suggestion of a non-breathable fabric for summer already has you hot and bothered, try working in a significant accessory, such as a bold woven leather bangle or soft suede wide belt.  

Here, the results of our browse-athon on eBay, where as fashion trend followers gear up for the season, eBay sales for "spring leather" in the Clothing, Shoes and Accessories category have more than doubled and sales for "spring suede" are up more than five-fold in a recent 30-day period (2/2-3/3) compared to the prior period.

Spring Leather & Suede


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