It's that time again folks, or at least it was yesterday, TV time. 

We were talking leather (and lips, but touching on that soon), but what often happens when you're on a six-minute segment is that it goes very fast and half of what you wanted to talk about gets flung by the wayside in place of sniggering at Rod's lipsticked pink lips (he let me put the lippy on him only 20 seconds before air time so I was still giggling). 

Here's the video link should you fancy a squizz, then come back here and let's get elbows deep in leather and talk it out. 

Leather, pleather (that's plastic or pretend leather) - while I'm not biased, there certainly is a difference, and not just for the vegans. I'll always prefer real leather over pleather - the smell, the feel, and the luxury of it - but sometimes it's just not financially viable. Real leather jackets can cost anywhere up to $1200 (or more), whereas a quality pleather one can set you back a couple of hundred. Did you notice I said quality pleather? I want to touch on this because it's important that you know. 

Let's bash a few leather fibs over the head:

Leather is only for tough biatches and biker gangs. False. Leather can be stylish and sexy and, amazingly, rather feminine as well. Remember Louis Vuitton's full leather skirts? Now can anyone say Grace Kelly? Uh-huh.   

Wearing pleather will make you look like a tramp. False. Not if it's quality.

All pleather is the same - bad. False. There are various grades of pleather. You generally get what you pay for. Look for pleather that feels sturdy and has a bit of weight to it. It'll last longer and look more like leather.

How to wear the (p)leather trend:

(Note: from now on when I say (p)leather I mean both pleather and leather. Fewer words this way. When I write leather or pleather I simply mean that.)

Think outside the box. Everybody wears a black leather jacket, but this season's love for leather goes way beyond that. Sure, a safe and easy way into the trend is to go for the jacket option, but why not try it in a colour other than black? I love the interesting cut on the tan Emu jacket, and I'm also deeply in love with Lonely Hearts' red leather shearling jacket made of lambs. They died in the winter frosts so you can proudly say "no lambs were (purposely) harmed in the making of this jacket". But did you really need to know that? No. Moving on.

Odd-looking model wears Emu leather jacket with shirt and skirt by Boohoo, and boots from Glassons. All images of odd-looking model (dunno where they got her) thanks to Richard Symons. 

Just to prove that you don't gotta be tough to wear (p)leather, here's an office wench look. 

Glassons pleather skirt worn with Marcs purple shirt, Boohoo trench coat and shoes.

And for all you mums out there scuttling about and still trying to look stylish for the school pick-up (because I know how competitive that is!) - this one's for you. I call it brat-camp-chic.

Bec & Bridge pleather pants, worn with Marcs wool coat and long-sleeved T-shirt, and Marcs ballet flats.

Call me crazy but I love a good (p)leather pant. It's a nice change from your plain black trou, and as you can see in the brat-pack-chic look it doesn't have to be tough. I love my leathers with a crisp white blouse and a pair of nude pumps. Easy peasy lemon squeezy and a wonderful twist on an otherwise preppy look.

Now check these out:

 

There are a gazillion other (p)leather garments on the market at present, but here are a few that I picked. See these two pants? One costs $899 and one costs $249. Leather vs pleather, people. Can you guess which? In the left corner... Sass & Bide at $899 from Superette, and also hailing from Superette, Bec & Bridge at $249. Now punch that out.

Some pleasant pleather offerings. The Glassons dress I held up on the telly with a sweet 50s cut, and a Boohoo bag that screams EXPENSIVE.

Another wonderful comparison here, but if you watched the segment you'll know which is which. Country Road skirt on the left with a leather panel, and a Glassons pencil skirt (comes in many colours) with a nifty little pleather trim.

So what say you? Love the (p)leather? Hate the (p)leather? Prefer the leather? Vegan? Virgin? 

And if you HAD to wear one item from this trend, what would it be? A safe bag? A skirt? A full (p)leather dress? Some racy trou or a sad and simple shoe? 

Tell me do.

XX B!

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