Leather Weather

Leather alternatives are in demand such as Alexander McQueen’s mycelium jackets, and Stella McCartney’s mush- room leather handbags.

(Photos courtesy brands.)

Created in 1837, Hermès holds claim to being the oldest luxury fashion house. Like several other designers, such as Prada and Bottega Veneta, they began by selling upmarket leather goods. Leather is undoubtedly one of the oldest fabrics known to man, and generations of designers have used this edgy material to fashion both wearable and elegant clothing.

Finding leather in a fall collection is of no surprise, yet this year, it dominated the runway and spanned several categories — from the revival of the biker trend to the luxurious leather jeans and blazers which made up this season’s cool classics. Designers managed to fashion leather into remarkable new and daring styles. At Bottega Veneta, motion was the inspiration for Matthieu Blazy’s hotly anticipated debut collection, thrilling the audience with lilac and lemon pom- pom colored skirts. This delightful mid- length, A-line soft leather skirt moved with the help of a vast underlayer of fringe. Fashion media was a frenzy and the desire for this very wearable piece was tantalizing. Want one?! It can be yours by December for a cool $29K.

Interestingly, just as fall collections were debuting an abundance of leather styles, several designers announced they would be trialing products made from a vegan, sustainable, animal-free leather alternative. Mycelium fabric is created from the renewable root system of fungi, which produces a fabric remarkably similar in look and feel to leather. Re-issuing their “Victoria” travel bag using this new material, Hermès is testing the waters to see how interested customers are. Other companies such as Stella McCartney — known for her dedication to environmental fashion — Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen are also introducing bags, shoes and clothing made from mycelium. Designers understand that even the luxury customer is looking to the future and demanding more sustainable fashion.

This season’s real and faux leather styles transcended the usual outerwear offerings evolving into some exciting clothing and giving us some of the runway’s most memorable moments. These leather looks are for those of us who are on the move and ready to go places.

Kim Smith has been a professional wardrobe stylist in Honolulu since 2004. Born a true Londoner, Smith had a successful career in public relations in the fashion industry in London for more than eight years before moving to Hawai‘i in 2002. Smith’s work spans a vast array of magazines, retailers and television as well as working with individual clients on their specific style needs. See her work at kimsmithstyle.com.