Luxe and edgy, leather and cashmere make a fun fabric combination.
the vintage Gap leather skirt
I am so sick of the pleated faux leather skirt. This ubiquitous style has shown up via every retailer imaginable. It is not the pleats. I happen love pleats. Pleated skirts give those with thick thighs copious room through a skirt. Speaking for myself. It is the faux leather and furthermore faux leather in pleated form. There is not a version of that skirt that appears chic and / or expensive. For an expensive proto-version of the skirt, we are all going to have to jump in a time machine…
During the summer of 1999, the Gap released a series of television spots. The ostensible back-to-school ad campaign consisted of three commercials centered around the Everybody in… campaign: Everybody in Leather, Everybody in Vests, and Everybody in Corduroy. Can I tell you how much this marketing collateral dictated how kids in my suburban high school planned their back to school wardrobes? Commercials, truly the OG influencer.
Though I love genuine leather, I tend to feel guilty about buying it in clothing form. Nevermind that I wear it so often that the price per wear grows palletable on the wallet. I recently was inspired after falling down a Gap commercial rabbit hole, courtesy of YouTube. While parents did not have it in my and my middle school-aged sister’s BTS shopping budget for a pair of leather pants each – and what Mississippi gulf coast high school sophomore and sixth grader was not wearing leather pants – I do have the funds now.
Unfortunately the pants were just never available in tall. Furthermore, I watched that one episode of Friends with Ross and the leather pants one too many times. There will be no jumping into a pair for me. These days, my style is more of a knee length leather skirt, produced before brands marketed them as “midi” length. Match it with a cashmere sweater in a contrasting texture story or even less expectedly, a tennis sweater; it is perfection.
Luckily for me and everyone else who experienced FOMO, or maybe just the MO, from the Everyone in Leather commercial, eBay is chock full of Gap (and Banana Republic) leather skirts. I put my bids on a few and won this double inverted pleated number. Expect to see it with a tennis sweater next.
I am wearing this skirt in a size twelve.
the Gap cashmere crewneck sweater
I stock up on tall cashmere sweaters whenever I find them available in a tall size range and in a color not already in my possession. One cannot cannot have enough cashmere. As such, I have built quite the collection which spans from small tall to large tall. Because let’s be honest, my body has been each size since pre pregnancy and post pregnancy.
This particular sweater is circa Gap winter 2015. That season’s sweater fit so well that I procured it in three colorways. In addition to this charcoal gray shade, I have it in a soft dove gray shade and a heathered fawn shade.
I am wearing this sweater in a size small tall.
The entire outfit nearly feels like it would be worn by a deliciously evil late 90s teen movie villain, doesn’t it? A vibe for 2023, get ready people.
Kathryn Merteuil is shaking in her (Jimmy Choo, probably), boots.
sweater: Gap • skirt: vintage Gap via eBay • shoes: Sarah Flint ($50 off any regularly priced pairs with code SARAHFLINT-BALU) • headband: Jennifer Behr • sunglasses: Karen Walker • necklace: Mignon Faget • earrings: Mignon Faget • ring: David Yurman • watch: Cartier (also here) • nail color: Essie