Winter Has Returned...

Okay, so many of you are laughing at the mere thought of Winter in Dallas.  I know.  Don't laugh.  Cold is relative just as hot is relative.  Remember your laughter at me now when you are complaining about how hot it is where you live next August.

Now that we have cleared that up... it is rather cold today.  England cold, actually.  The temperature is not really all that low but it is damp, a little breezy... just uncomfortable.

How else should a stylish lady (I said to stop laughing!) deal with a chilly day?

Why leather, a great blazer and comfy boots, of course!

Today's attire...

As anyone that reads my blog (or I guess anyone who just read its name?) knows, I love my leather skirts.

I wear them to the office regulary but I think it is very important to take some of the "edge" off the skirt when I wear it to the office.  Considering this fact, the items that I pair with the skirt are critical in my opinion.

Although I do not always wear a blazer to work with my leather skirts I do think it is appropriate.  In my opinion, a good blazer provides a professional finish to virtually any ensemble. 

This particular blazer is just one of many items in my closet from Harold's.  All together now... "I miss that store."  I really do.  Talbots is a satisfactory replacement but it just isn't the same.  The world is a less happy place without Harold's in it.  Okay, perhaps that was a little melodramtic.  Hee Hee

So what do you think of my blazer?

I think this blouse is a perfect partner as well.  Subtle & classy.  I will even pair this blouse with a leather skirt without a blazer on a warmer day.  I hear you snickering about my thinking it is cold.  That isn't nice.

I think that the black tones in the blazer go well with the skirt.  What do you think?

My beloved tall black boots by Born...

And the finished look...

A quick story for today...

Do you remember my "office building friend" with the leather pants?  I first mentioned her in this post and then again here.  Believe it or not... we are twins today!  I have a full fledged convert.  I have to admit, I felt rather proud (not sure if that is appropriate?), maybe a little vindicated, when I saw her getting on the elevator ahead of me this morning.  She had a leather skirt on... kid you not!  I am sure it was her.  Unfortunately, I couldn't catch up to her so we didn't get to talk.  Hopefully I will see her when I return to the office in a few minutes.  We'll see?

WHOOPS!  Turns out the lady that I saw on my way in to the building yesterday was not my "friend" at all.  Not sure who she was but it wasn't the lady that I have encountered in the post mentioned above.  Ironically, as I raced back in from lunch (about 15 minutes after finishing the text above) I saw her out smoking in a completely different outfit.  Unless she did a quick change, I was mistaken about whom I saw earlier.

Oh well, it would have made a nice story, huh?

Obviously my friend has come around on the idea of a leather skirt at the office.  What are your thoughts on the matter?  Is it appropriate?

One last thing... on this post I answered a question regarding my least favorite trend.

Originally I said that my least favorite thing are baggy jeans.  I still don't like that but I want to ammend my answer today.  Is that okay?

Whether it is or not...

I actually dislike seeing women go out in their pajama bottoms.  Do they know that these are not actually pants?  Do they care?  I don't know but I am certain that it is unattractive.  Spend another couple of minutes and at slip on a pair of jeans.  Is that asking too much?

Now that I have probably offended a few... lunch is over... back to the grind...

Have a fantastic day!

- The Leather Skirt -

The Answers...

Okay, so I have not been a "good blogger" of late.  Actually, I have been an "awful blogger" of late.  All I can do is apologize and make excuses that no one is interested in hearing anyway. 

Alas, I will try to do better.

Anyway, in a recent post I made the somewhat foolish offer to answer some questions... should anyone out there in the world even care enough to ask. 

Surprisingly, a couple of you did.  It still astounds me that people are interested in my ramblings.

Here we go...

From the super cool Kassi of:  The Closet Intervention

I want to know what fashion trend you HATE the most!

Essentially the same question from my "Blogger Buddy", Sarah of:  Coming Unstitched

What trend do you hope NEVER comes back?

Baggy jeans!!!!!  That whole "hip hop" trend is awful if you ask me.  I know, it really hasn't completely gone away but I think it is on life support.  It seems like "skinnys" are more common now.  Anyone who reads my blog at all knows that I am not a huge denim fan anyway but if you are going to wear it, at least have it fit.  Do I sound like I am a grandmother now?  Hee Hee

From my friend Abby of:  SoCal Sophisticate

Where do you get your outfit inspiration from? And/or, besides the leather skirt, what is your second favorite piece of clothing from your wardrobe?

Inspiration... This one is easy... my mother.  I know.  Save your smirks, I really do.  I should dedicate a post to this question sometime as I don't want to carry on for too long on this subject.  Suffice it to say, my mother "dressed up" every day and I have followed her example as an adult.  She always dressed my sisters & I in skirts when we were young and I started truly embracing the concept from the time that I was in about 8th grade.  I like it.  BTW... my younger sister is the rebel in the family.  Hee Hee.

Second favorite thing in my closet... This is difficult.  Probably my houndstooth skirt at the moment.  Perhaps my red cashmere sweater?  Perhaps my tall black boots by Born?  I think the houndstooth skirt gets the nod.

As you have probably figured out by now, I like simple pieces.  Classic pieces.  I am as practical as I like to believe I am fashionable.  Mix and match, mix and match.  Multitudes of combinations.

From my lovely Italian blogger friend Francesca of:  Don't Call Me a Fashion Blogger

Hmmmmmm I am not sure what I could ask you...maybe... I am curios....how many leather skirts you have? I have been good and not nosy....

This one made me smile.  Francesca, you are not being too nosy at all. 

I currently have three leather skirts.  I consider two of them to be very appropriate for the office.  I prefer to buy things like this that I can wear to work.

I have the black one and the Carmel one that I have shown you and I just bought a red one from EBay.  Not sure about wearing that one just yet but the price was good enough that I thought I would take a chance.  I used to have a forest green one that I loved but I spilled coffee on it a few years ago so it had to go.  The funeral was lovely.  Hee Hee.  I also had a black mini skirt when I was in college.  I wore that when I went dancing, to concerts, occasionally for a date.  I decided I was too old for that one a couple of years ago and gave it to a neighbor.

From an anonymous reader called LGD:

What kind of coats or jackets do you wear with your outfits? Do you pair leather with leather (or not) since that could influence the reactions you get? Just curious.

Not sure about this reader.  Who are you LGD?

Anyway, I have some blazers, not many but some.  I don't wear them much so it is hard to justify investing in too many. 

As for coats, I have several and wear whatever fancies me on any given day.  Occasionally I will wear my leather coat with my leather skirt but typically not.  I don't recall ever having worn my leather blazer with either my leather skirt or my leather pants.  That is just a little too much, you know what I mean?

From another Sarah (the talented author of one of my favorite blogs) of:  Pencil Skirts and Lattes

Do you feel pressured to post outfits every day on your blog?

I certainly put pressure on myself but I don't feel it from any of you.  All of you guys are amazing... nothing but supportive. 

From the very sweet Margaret of:  Sugar Magnolia

Do you ever post pictures of you actually wearing your blog clothes?

And from a woman that amazes me daily, the same question.  I will never understand how Daphne of Fashion Confessions Of A Mommy manages two children, dresses so well everyday and maintains a blog as well.  Amazing.

Why won't you post photos of yourself in the outfits you wear instead of the clothes alone?

This last question is the most complicated and at the same time the easiest.  Simply put, I am a bit nervous about the whole idea.  On a more complicated front, it is not wise for me to be quite that forthcoming given my professional responsibilities.  My employer is a unique business partner to our clients.  Anonymity is crucial.  I am actually contractually bound to not maintain things like "Twitter" accounts, "Facebook" pages and such.  Blogs are not explicitly forbidden but it is probably best to not "ask" for trouble.  I am a highly visible member of our executive team, at least to our clients.  Should someone "stumble" onto pictures of my on the Internet it could get unnecessarily uncomfortable.  Simply not worth it.

Thank you all for your questions.  

I hope that I answered all the questions satisfactorily?  Feel free to post some more if you like.  Perhaps I will do this a second time soon?

If you are unfamiliar with any of these blogs I would encourage you to drop in and give them a read.  I "follow" all of them and enjoy them very much.

- The Leather Skirt -