For many Fashionistas and Fashionistos, summer is a great time to explore creative new patterns, pieces and textures in outfits. Whether you spend your days interning at your dream job or lounging on an exotic beach, summer is ideal for experimenting with and transforming your wardrobe. The real challenge is breaking the mold of stereotypical summer staples and branching out into pieces that you would typically associate with other seasons.
This Fashionista is sporting the classically sexy black leather, which might not always be the easiest to pull off in the hot and humid Chicago summers. By pairing black leather with the right complementary textures and colors, this Fashionista easily transformed it into a summer essential. This Fashionista incorporated black leather into her ensemble with black, snakeskin-like leather slip-ons, as well as a black leather quilted backpack. Both of these items are a must-have for running errands around the city or commuting to an internship. And who doesn’t love matching their backpack with their shoes?!
To complete the look, she is wearing a simple black, three-quarter length sleeve sweater and a gray cotton skater skirt, making this outfit perfect for a cool summer day. These neutral pieces are great because they do not overshadow the black leather and they can be mixed and matched with a variety of statement wardrobe pieces. I also love this Fashionista’s chunky silver statement necklace and chunky silver rings, which strike a boho chic note within the outfit, without overpowering the entire ensemble. Furthermore, this Fashionista succeeds in combining a few neutral tone pieces to create an outfit that stands out.
How To: Introduce this fun texture into your summer wardrobe with a few subtle hints of black leather in the form of a black leather mini skirt, shoes or handbag. Take the edgy black leather and run with it—you can easily go from grunge to retro glam with the right pairing. With the versatility of this great wardrobe staple, the possibilities are endless!
