Luscious leather and silk in passionate pink and purple

Just how many tactile materials can be worn at once? That was the question I asked myself when I put together this lovely leather and silk trouser suit. Looking through my collection I was reminded of this lovely purple satin jacket by Fenn Wright Manson with its contrasting lapels reminiscent of a traditional dinner jacket.

Wanting to ring the changes, I decided not to grab the all-too-predictable black leather trousers, but rather go for something a little more colourful. Whilst looking for a pair of purple leather trousers that would probably work with this jacket, I remembered a pair of vintage plum pink leather trousers that I picked up for pennies from eBay.

Despite their age, or maybe because of it, these leather trousers are still lovely and soft. They have some subtle paper bag pleating at the front which worked beautifully with the relaxed style of the jacket. The vibrant pink leather was also a delicious counterpoint to the darker purple as well.

The purple satin jacket and lilac silk shirt that I wore as part of my leather and silk suit

With the two main items of this trouser suit chosen, it was time for the shirt and accessories. Having both leather and silk in the outfit, I remembered a lilac silk blouse that I bought from Liz Claiborne many years ago. I don’t often wear this with a suit as the collar is wispy and doesn’t always work with a tie. As it bridged the colour gap between the pink leather trousers and purple satin jacket so well, I decided to go with it and see if there was a tie that would work.

Going straight to my collection of pink and purple ties, many of them were too long and would either require an enormous knot in order to not be too long with the trousers. This left ties that were mostly too thick for the delicate collar of the silk shirt. There was one however that might just fit the bill. This was a vintage purple paisley tie. Giving it a go, I was delighted that not only did the colour work perfectly with the rest of the suit, but it also sat neatly with the collar.

The ivory leather Cuban heeled shoes I wore with my leather and silk suit

It was now time to pick out the accessories to finish off the outfit, starting with the footwear. Colour wise, I didn’t want anything too heavy. This ruled out black, and the purple boots and shoes that I had weren’t exactly suit suitable. This lead me to the lighter colours and in particular my white and cream footwear. Of all these pairs of boots and shoes, the pair that appealed the most was this pair of patent white leather shoes with a clasp and Cuban heel.

With that decision made I was left with only a pair of gloves to pick out. They had to be purple, and with the tactility of the satin, leather and silk, I picked out a pair of driving style gloves in a fetching shade of lilac with black lace over the back of the hand.