How to Wear Leather Pants Pt 2 - Shirts and blouses

How to Wear Leather Pants (cont from Part 1 here):

Along with a good cut, fit and length of the pants, contrast in texture and/or colour is important when choosing what to wear with leather pants.

Since pants make up the bottom half of an outfit, the top half must have enough contrast for visual interest, contrasting textures with fabrics and materials like mohair, tweed, cotton, and wool (a shiny top with shiny bottom would only look tacky). Olivia Palermo is pro at this, often opting for fur vests and jackets to add texture, shape and layers to her outfit.

Contrasing colours add to an outfit (even though we often see lots of black being worn together - a white/coloured tee breaks up the look). Black leather pants worn with a black silk shirt doesn't usually look as good as with a white knit, because the texture and color don't provide enough contrast with the leather.

What to wear leather pants with:

Keep it casual up top to give it a more laid-back vibe, opting for flowy fits:

· Solid coloured silk and/or button shirts/blouses (even denim shirts, if you're keen), preferably in neutral or soft tones, to balance out the harshness of the pants

· With a stylish pair of flat or low-heeled shoes

· Avoid shiny/sleeveless tops (more for evening)

· Casual tee or fitted/bulky sweater for contrast in material (see Part 1 here)

· Add contrasting texture with shearling or fur vests (see Part 3 here)

· Wear with a casual top and jacket (see Part 4 here)

· Throw a coat over it (see Part 5 here)

· Blazer - black or neutral-coloured (eg. Oversized or boyfriend blazer with a simple tee, or tuxedo jacket) – can be dressed down with flats, or glammed up with pumps, Emanuelle Alt shows us how striking black leather pants look with a white blazer. (see Part 6 here)

Example outfits:

· simple T-shirt, blazer and ballet flats (or low-heeled ankle boots, or pumps for a more polished look)

· Model-off-duty look: slouchy vintage T-shirt, and ankle boots (or sneakers)

PART 2

Button blouses/shirts




Cute preppy look


How I wish I hadn't hesitated in purchasing this beautifully draped shirt by Helmut Lang! It sold out so quickly...


Button shirt under a knit/sweater


Casual military cotton shirt tones down the look


Because this post was too long and picture heavy, I decided to break up the pics into different posts, click below for pics of leather outfits with:

Pt 1 - Tees and Knits
Pt 3 - Fur and shearling
Pt 4 - Jackets
Pt 5 - Coats
Pt 6 - Blazers