The Met Gala is back, and with it comes all the pageantry of great fashion. Full leather looks are a part of that, and my inbox is flooded with requests for my opinion.
Is a full Leather outfit too much? Is it part of the fashion wave? Why do we see it more and more on the red carpet? Why do they wear it?
As a leather fan, you surely didn’t miss the picture of women who wore it this year.
The Met Gala is a fashion show with no limits. It provides a space in which women can wear big evening dresses that normally wouldn’t fit through a standard-sized door.
I always loved balls, with their big dresses and all night dancing. For my prom in the last year of high school, I chose to wear a made-to-measure cream princess dress based on several designs I found on the internet. As a young, romantic soul with a huge portion of nativity, I enjoyed every moment in it.
Looking back on it, I see the perfect match between my dress and my personality at that time. I didn’t think much about the message I wanted to send, but the dress spoke for me. If only I knew then what I know now…
I was wondering what message do women give to men when they wear a big flashy princess dress? Is it vulnerability? Is it a look of innocence that women give when feeling like a princess? Is it a need to be taken care of?
It could be everything I mentioned and also none of it. But one thing is for sure - consciously or not, there is a message behind every outfit.
And then there are women who want to make a very different impression. Who try to avoid princess dresses as much as they can. Who wants to make a statement and be noticed because they shock people.
“Leather gives a statement, whether it’s on the red carpet or not.”
What type of message do people wearing leather on the red carpet want to give? Clearly, leather is the exact opposite of vulnerability or innocence. Are they showing their power then? Or is it just a desire for attention? Or is there something else they want to say by wearing it? What is their relationship with leather?
They are on the red carpet, so of course, they seek attention.
Leather brings it naturally thanks to its superpower so if it is just attention they seek why there are simply not more people in leather?
I believe if it were easy to wear a full leather outfit everyone would do it.
What makes it difficult to wear a full leather outfit?
Actually, leather IS in the fashion wave. We can find it in any shop in any form. Leather has become a material that people wear all year long, which reduces the embarrassment of wearing it in the “off-season.” Yet wrapping yourself in a full leather outfit remains something uncommon. Something shocking, something that many consider too much.
First of all, “too much” is highly dependent on the occasion.
Second, too much depends on personal opinion. There is nothing too much for the fancy ball where the purpose is to shock, to be different, and to bring uniqueness and fashion style.
Obviously, if we talk about day-to-day life, one needs to think about how not to offend people around you. Knowing how to play down the style to the occasion is a matter of class. Class is a matter of attitude, and attitude is a matter of education.
A full leather outfit can be classy when styled appropriately for the occasion. Still, the risk that it can shock someone will be there.
“The Power of Leather should not be underestimated.“
I might not be very objective. Because I wear leather all the time, me being in a full leather outfit is something people are used to. I started small and progressively increased the time when I wore leather so people could get used to it and so could I.
In the end, the reaction to a full leather outfit says more about the person who reacts to it. Why is it so bothersome, intimidating, or exciting? Where does this feeling or thought come from?
When I wear a full leather outfit, I always ask myself whether it isn't too much. Not because I would think it would be, but it is more about the others and their relationship with fashion/leather. As much as I like it when people are intimidated by me, there might be situations when it doesn’t play in my favor, so better to think twice.
Still, wearing a full cotton outfit is never considered too much, so neither should leather should.
In my opinion, what people should be worried about is not being too much. To be invisible. To not have any impact on the life of others.
So YES for a full leather outfit that suits the occasion and provides comfort and desired attention to its wearer!
