Faux Sure
Tuesday, December 10, 2013I've been on a (faux) leather kick lately. First came the dress, and now I find myself the owner of leather pants -- though the pants were not the no-brainer buy like most of my purchases. The main reason being I wouldn't be able to transition them between work and weekend, like I do with the bulk of my wardrobe.
As casual as my work environment is, with no clearly stated dress code, I just feel leather pants fall under the big fat NO category (same as shorts). Leather jackets are ok in my mind, partial leather items (like my dress) are also ok, but tight leather pants? It's probably better to be safe than sorry. I went back and forth on this purchase, but ultimately decided to keep the pants because it's a trend I wanted to try at a discounted enough price (used reward points).
I wore the pants for the first time over the weekend to hang out with my girlfriends. Before I left, DH remarked that he's not a fan because the leather pants looked "so shiny and futuristic... alien-like." Way to make me second-guess my decision before going out in public! Turns out, my friends all liked the pants. I swear, if they weren't all in relationships already, those innocent touches against my thighs could've been misconstrued as something else, lol. One friend loved the pants so much that she wanted to try them on, but sadly, we weren't able to find them at neither Nordstrom nor Bloomingdale's**. I guess the brand isn't popular enough to be sold in stores, only online.
I couldn't resist asking my friends for their opinions on the work appropriateness of leather pants. I figured since I was actually waffling a bit, my stance fell somewhere in the middle. Not surprisingly, two friends who work in a more conservative environment answered with a resounding "No. Weekend-wear only." That left one friend who works in the same type of environment I do. She also didn't hesitate, but said instead, "Sure, why not?" We started throwing out examples of what is "allowable" without crossing the line. We agreed on flip flops and short(er) skirts, but leather pants was just something I felt was too much but she deemed ok.
So, leather pants -- would you wear them to work?
**I have a few extra one-time use codes for Bloomingdale's, valid through 12/11. Please leave a comment if you use any:
20% - X50E174XEMMD
10% - X80YK74DCSYG, X205O74ASSOO, X80CF74ABSMW
lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in blushing mauve (sold here)
turtleneck: J.Crew tissue turtleneck tee in heather stripe (sold here - $19.99)
pants: Blank NYC faux leather skinny (sold at Nordstrom / Zappos / Revolve Clothing)
bag: Balenciaga city (sold at NM / Barneys)
shoes: Mossimo ballet flats (similar; similar)
16 comments
I think it very much depends on the work environment and what the rest of your outfit looks like. I treat leather pants like leggings--ok with an oversized sweater (if your work is casual), but a cropped top would be a no. Wearing flats (like you did here) also tones down the overall look. :)
ReplyDeleteJen
www.lifeunrefined.com
Good point comparing leather pants to leggings. I'm trying to remember the last time I wore leggings to work... and I can't. This feels like deja vu to me because I must've had the same mental debate regarding leggings!
DeleteI work with engineers and we don't have a dress code, but I wouldn't wear leather pants to work. (No leggings either, shiny or matte.) I have, however, worn a leather skirt to work. (Paired with pumps, no stripper shoes!)
ReplyDeleteI like how you paired the pleather pants here with the cozy sweater.
Must be an engineer thing (or psuedo-engineer on my part) because it seems like we're on the same wave length, just swap out leather skirt for leather dress, and paired with conservative gear!
DeleteI teach in a college and I have worn faux leather pants to work--matte black faux leather -- I also wore a long cardigan so that my tushie was covered :) One of my students asked me if I was wearing a pair of leather pants and I said yes. This student said, "My teacher is so cool." It made my day. I bought two more pairs this year --one that is tan and one in plum. I haven't worn them yet, but I do plan to wear the tan pair next week.
ReplyDeleteOne more comment..being that this is a college environment, almost anything goes. I think it goes with the quirky professor mentality.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool story -- especially since the compliment was given by a teenager! Ahh, your tan and plum leather pants sound amazing -- I'm so jealous of you and others who work in creative environments.
DeleteI personally wouldn't and I am given a lot of leeway with regard to the dress code at work...there's just something very "club-ish" about leather pants (I sound a million years old...pardon me while I go unclutch my fist from the pearls on my neck).
ReplyDeleteHAHA, that's classy, not old. I was waiting for you to say something about falling asleep at 10pm ;)
DeleteI think leather pants is just one of those times that I'll wait for someone else to take the lead first. If one day I see a girl wearing leather pants without bosses giving her the stink eye, I'll take that as a green light. One can hope, right?!
I LOVE the look of leather pants as well. When I look into mirror, I looked "fine" with the leather pants. But when I see myself in pictures, my legs look really big in them :( I recently finally invested in a pair of leather pants, but after I saw myself in the pictures, I haven't worn them since..... lol You look really really great in them! And as for work appropriate, definitely not :) Leather pencil skirt might be ok :)
ReplyDeleteIs it your thighs that look big? My friend who wanted to try these pants on kept saying she's not sure it'll look good on her because her thighs are "bigger." She's tiny! I think sometimes we're our harshest critics... I hope you gather up the courage to wear your leather pants soon, Elaine. The weather's perfect for it and I would hate to see your hard-earned money go to waste.
DeleteAs you've styled them here, I don't think there's anything inappropriate about these pants. (With a tank top and heels, different story!) However, I've only ever seen one person wear leather pants at my (high-tech) job. It was a (straight) guy, and it was pretty hysterical! I generally don't think of leather pants as work-wear, though, and I don't blame you for keeping them at home.
ReplyDeleteOhmygod, I can only hope to see a guy one day (straight or not) rock leather pants! I can only envy his confidence in pulling that off, at work of all places.
DeleteLeather pants, especially skinny ones are hard to pull off... But these look GREAT on you! I think it's one of your better looking pants too :) as for work.... I've never seen anyone wear leather pants to work without a few weird stares. I tend to not want to be noticed at work, so no leather pants at work for me. But definitely think you rock those pants and would enjoy seeing them on this blog :)
ReplyDeleteHaha and here I was thinking all my pants look equally good on me ;) I'm sure I'll be wearing these leather pants as often as I can on weekends for the foreseeable future!
DeleteLove this look! Those pants are great!
ReplyDeleteThe Style Storm
<3, Christina
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