It turns out spring is leather weather this year in New York. And this trend could soon be followed by many Indian designers too. Don’t be frightened: This isn’t a heavy head-to-toe rock ‘n’ roll look. This is about leather done as easy and breezy as we head into warmer, sunnier times. It could be a light jacket or a dress or just a button-down shirt.
For this, light and bright colors like white, light pink and blue in paper-thin leathers and vegan leathers will be used and laser cutting can add airiness to the garment. The result, customers immediately respond to the luxuries of it at the fashion week in New York.
“The customer is slowly shifting toward seasonless clothing. They want clothing they can wear at least eight or nine months a year, and leather is now one of those things, women can wear most of the year. The customer also likes that leather takes pigment so well, and just as the season flips into spring, people are eager to wear cheerful, optimistic colors, even if the real-feel temperature don’t match the mood.”, says designer, Marti Horwitz.
So if you are looking for an instantly glamorous look, a leather jacket or vest is the perfect layering piece for the days the weather can throw anything at you. An important piece of advice to the shoppers is to keep in mind as they set out on a spring shopping spree, that lambskin or goatskin is naturally thinner than cow hide and would therefore fit well for the summer months.
A leather floral print dress on the other hand can be a showstopper, though it’s not for everyone! “I can envision it more in LA or New York than in India. It’s for a person who religiously follows the trend, no matter how out of the box or unheard and wacky they are”, says a fashion student Leena Dang at NIFT, Delhi.
For the leather novice, it’s easier to start with the daytime outfits, and go with a navy or a chocolate brown, which could work well with the existing items in the closet. Marti Horwitz suggests a bolder color or feminine blush tone in a classic blazer. And if that still takes the customer out of their comfort zone, just a leather trim on the cuffs of a shirt, leather elbow patches or collars can be tried. All these innovative trends are already selling very well in the markets abroad.
The beat part, price shouldn’t and wouldn’t be a stumbling block when it comes to wearing these leather designs. Faux leather at affordable rates in the contemporary market is looking better than ever at just $100. Therefore easily affordable for many fashionistas in Indian moolah too.
Leather also isn’t a look necessarily limited by age, body shape or style. Unlike some trends that feed into a single look – like a maxi dress might work for the bohemian, or shoulder pads for the minimalist – leather crosses into the lifestyles of all buyers. And therefore it certainly won’t just dominate ramps but will soon have legs for quite a few more seasons.
