Here’s the scene to set the mood, Fashionista/os: wandering aimlessly in the depths of Forever 21 dazed, confused and somewhat hopeless, I fumble through racks of new arrivals only to find something that sends my fashion signals off into a tizzy. What may that item be you might ask? None other than an olive green faux suede skirt. Reason as to why I was so flustered by my reaction to this find is that when I first spotted suede as an upcoming trend as demonstrated by Balmain’s spring 2016 ready-to-wear collection, it was not love at first sight to say the very least. Suede reminded me of old Westerns and my grandma’s former retro floral couch in her living room.
Being my stubborn self, I tried to fight favoritism toward this fabric trend off like the great plague, but once I incidentally got hold of it, there was no more fighting back. I caught suede fever and was well past hope for full recovery. Now a reluctant yet proud owner of a faux suede purchase, I am totally obsessed with the look and feel of this material. Suede is great for the winter months especially because it characteristically gives that sense of warmth with its soft hand and rich texture. The skirt itself is playful and trendy yet sophisticated making it seem that any style type could play it up to their preference.
Being the type of person who never likes to wear any outfit the same way more than once, I love that it can be paired easily with a ton of basic pieces since suede has a style uniqueness that speaks well on its own. For this outfit, I chose one of my favorite black cowl-neck sweaters. As for shoes, the sky’s the limit with this number. Ankle booties, over-the-knee boots or even a pair of sandals once the weather gets warmer could serve as great footwear contenders worthy of strutting this up-to-the-minute trend. A large and in charge pair of statement earring never hurts to spice up any solid colored ensemble as well.
All in all, I can say faux suede taught me a few very valuable lessons in Style Guru Style 101: 1. Never knock a runway look until you’ve tried it, and 2. Opinions can be suede when it comes to new fashion trends.
Get My Look: 1. A faux suede skirt. 2. A black cowl neck sweater. 3. Taupe high-heeled ankle booties. 4. A pair of flashy statement earrings.
