Kate Upton accepts People's "Sexiest Woman Alive" in what else? Black leather!

So if you're Kate Upton and accepting People's "Sexiest Woman Alive" Award, how better to dress for the occasion than rocking a hot black leather outfit and stiletto pumps!

Although I saw a reference to it being a "leather pencil dress," I'm not so sure.  The top, which is amazing, has a real lambskin-sheen to it while the skirt has more of a matte, print look to it.  Of course, we may never know if it's dress or leather top and skirt because she's wearing a wide black leather belt - also very hot!

A quick search reveals that this is not the first time Ms. Upton has rocked a Leather Look, such as what's definitely a leather dress at some kind of GQ event.

And while we're at it, here are a few bonus looks at Ms. Upton rocking some great Leather Looks, including leather skirts, jackets, thigh-high boots, and long leather gloves!

Some nice long black leather gloves from a UK retailer

I was looking around online for some deals on long leather gloves and came across this 2013 article from UK retailer Black Co. with five different ways to pair long leather gloves.  They range from the traditional pairing with a little black dress to a surprising "grown up biker" look.

These very nice gloves measure about 24.5" and will set you back about $172 at today's conversion rate.

I was also intrigued by this very cool style featuring a diagonal zipper.  These measure 17" long.

I don't know about where you are, but it's definitely "long leather glove" weather where I am.  Stay warm and in style!

Halloween - to costume or not to costume

It's been years since I wore a Halloween costume, especially to work.  Although we don't have an office policy about wearing costumes that I'm aware of, there are always a few of my co-workers, usually the younger women, who get adventurous and dress up.

So I got to thinking today what I would wear as a costume to the office.  I started poking around on the Internet and came across a 2013 article on Babble.com called "10 Halloween Costumes You Won't Be Embarrassed To Wear To Work" and loved the first look I saw - a spy or secret agent.

I could actually pull this off and wouldn't feel too self-conscious (I think).  It's basically a trench coat, sexy boots, leather gloves, and some dark sunglasses.  This happens to be one of my favorite fall/winter looks!

The writer of the website actually got her inspiration from a fashion blogger whose site I haven't visited for a long time, lovemaegan.com  Besides being a gorgeous blonde, she has a great fashion sense and puts together some incredible looks!  To say I'm envious would be an understatement!  In addition to the photos below, you can see her incredible look here, although I don't think I could wear the coat as a dress like she does!  And those boots are a-mazing!

That said, I'd have to have another great "costume" look underneath, which also happens to be featured in the article.  This time, it's Bonnie Parker of the classic bank robber movie, "Bonnie and Clyde."  This look basically involves a short-sleeved, sweater, pencil skirt, scarf, and beret (gun optional).  Another classic look and the only things I would do is to update the look with a leather pencil skirt and an infinity scarf.

Target gets into some nice over-the-knee boot action for $50

Target gets into the over-the-knee boot action this season with this intriguing pair of Xhilaration boots for $49.99, on sale this week for $42.49.  Unfortunately, they're only available online as I'd really like to see these in person or at least on a model.

Kudos to the copywriter:
Long, lean and super sexy, the Xhilaration Women's Nate Over the Knee Boots are going to make you a true standout in a crowd. More than just over the knee, these thigh high womens boots really take it to that next level. The unembellished, simple black boot is extremely slimming and it leads the pack of todays hottest trends. This is the look you want to adopt and make your own before someone else beats you to it. You're going to look amazing.

They're getting good reviews and they look like a decent boot for the price and the style.  However, I found it interesting that "Tall gal shopper" actually thinks these are leather!

The style reminds me of the Jeffrey Campbell "Militant" boots ($99.99), and considering those are not real leather either, the Target boots are a much better deal.  The matte material on the Target boots also makes them look more like real leather than the Jeffrey Campbell boots.

Both pairs appear to be based on the no-longer-in-production Stuart Weitzman "Hilo" OTK boots, which I own and are my favorite low-heeled boots.  Although I'd never pay the original retail price of $650, these appear occasionally on eBay.

Online retailers featuring some great OTK boot looks

I'm already seeing some great over-the-knee boot looks at online retailers this season.

Nordstrom's HauteLook website features these great OTK boot looks paired with dresses and short skirts. Not that I could ever pull off this look, but it's nice to dream! Of these looks, the bottom look featuring the plaid dress is my favorite.

 

It should come as no surprise that Macy's gets in on the OTK boot action as well. Where Nordstrom featured a softer OTK boot in black suede, Macy's rocks a bolder look with smooth, sexy black leather and spiky heels! The Guess "Zonian" boots are my favorite style and seem like a real deal for $159!

 

 

Long leather gloves at Bloomingdale's

Although they're a little pricey at $198, these 12-button long leather gloves from Bloomingdale's are really appealing.  Sadly, they're only currently available in brown and red.

However, if you're going to show these long gloves modeled, don't show them scrunched to the max!

Extreme thigh-high boots - "Kane" by Report Signature.

Under the category of "boot looks I'll never be able to pull off" come these very memorable "Kane" boots by Report Signature.  First of all, they're not new, and in fact, I found a 2009 photo shoot on YouTube featuring them.  However, I'm not sure if I've ever featured them on this blog before.  And they're definitely blog-worthy!



The fact that these have straps at the top of the shafts that allow a belt to be attached remind me of vintage "Wild Pair" chap boots.  For the record, I've tried those and found I'm not leggy enough to pull off the look.  If I could pull this look off, I'm thinking it would be fun to debut them at a Halloween party paired with a catsuit for a very sexy Catwoman costume.

Below is the aforementioned photo shoot video.  Oh, and the long black leather gloves are a VERY nice addition to an already incredible look!


Another nice, but short, video of these boots strutting!

Female news anchor exclaims, "Get out the boots!"

I happened to catch the end of our local newscast tonight when the weatherman was showing the forecast for the end of this week.  When he said that next Friday night's forecast was for a low of 46 degrees, the female anchor exclaimed, "Get out the boots!"  I'm pretty sure the female anchor meant fashion boots.  I couldn't agree more!

Opera gloves - one of the Top 10 Trends at the 2014 Met Gala

I've long had a weakness for long, opera-length gloves, especially when they're black leather.  Opera gloves were listed as one of the top 10 trends at the 2014 Met Gala.  It goes without saying that Karlie Kloss' look is by far my favorite!  They pair beautifully with her tapestry gown by Oscar de la Renta.

FASHIONANDCOOKIES.COM - another great fashion blog with a style that I really admire!

I stumbled across this fashion blog recently, fashionandcookies.com, and really liked some of the looks this woman put together.  Classy yet she mixes pieces so creatively!  I thought I'd share a few of my favorites here.

My favorite look comes first.  While I really like the orange cardigan and the slouchy black beanie from Asos, it's the over-the-knee boots that really make this outfit.   She stated that the boots were from B and H and from what I can find, they're from this Italian retailer called B and H Shoes. Simply stunning!

Again with the same beautiful B and H boots, but this time paired with a whimsical print skirt.  I also thought that the top part of her outfit really lent itself to some long leather gloves.

A very tailored skirt suit look accented with some nice jewelry to accentuate the turtleneck and accessorized very nicely with a large black leather bag and black leather knee-high boots.

A cozy-looking whimsical sweater pairs nicely with skinny jeans and these very rich-looking suede boots.  The beret, gloves, and big red bag accessorize this look beautifully!

Another whimsical sweater looks great paired with black leather-look leggings, ankle boots, and a nice envelope clutch purse.

I've always thought it's hard to go wrong with a classic style jumper dress and knee-high boots!

A great take on the classic "black leather jacket and jeans" look.  The stocking cap, scarf, and large bag are great accent pieces, too.

Nice "leather look" in Yahoo! article on luggage

This recent article on "The Luggage Police Are Watching..." caught my attention more for the nice stock photo used than the actual article content.

A tight brown leather jacket AND over-the-knee boots.  Not sure how practical is it for travel, especially removing that tight jacket and tall boots to go through security, but the tight leather jacket and skinny jeans tucked into OTK boots is one of my current favorite looks!

I rediscover a favorite fashion blog!

I recently rediscovered one of my favorite fashion blogs, lovemaegan.com

Besides the fact that she is just gorgeous, she puts together some incredible looks  This page features one of my favorites: http://www.lovemaegan.com/2011/02/and-i-found-it-there-in-your-heart.html

The long cardigan sweater paired with a turtleneck, jeans, and over-the-knee boots is one of my favorite cool weather looks!  I have to admit, the boots are real stunners, and she indicates they're by Matiko and the style name is "Cadie."  No longer available via the regular retail channels, I bet a pair shows up on eBay now and then!

She also has these boots in taupe!
http://www.lovemaegan.com/2010/12/little-red-corvette-baby-youre-much-too-fast.html

Thanks for the great style inspiration, Maegan!

Angelina Jolie rocks a full-length black leather gown at "Maleficent" premiere

Angelina Jolie has shown that she knows how to rock the black leather look for years now.  She continued that trend in a stunning full-length black leather gown by Versace.  Very likely custom-made, I'd be very curious what this weighs and what it cost!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2642384/Angelina-Jolie-weaves-magic-black-leather-gown-Maleficent-Hollywood-premiere-Brad-Pitt-spell.html

Personally, I'm more a fan of the "little black leather dress" such as this one she wore to the "Inglorious Basterds" premiere...

...but if anyone can pull off the "full leather gown" look, it's Angie!  She wore a similar, but more form-fitting full-length leather dress to the premiere of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

However, my personal favorite "leather look" is the classic white silk blouse paired with a black leather skirt and pumps, all by Ferragamo. Love the hair, too!  This is a look I would actually try wearing!

Late season deals on long leather gloves

This fan of long leather gloves has been thrilled to see their resurgence in the last few years.  That said, the best time to get a deal on these gloves is now, near the end of the season.  I'm also a fan of the shopping website polyvore.com, which is a great way to compare prices on items and is really good at listing sale prices.

These 12-button length long black leather gloves from Bloomingdale's are true "opera length."  Originally $168.00, they're a deal at $117.60.  Unfortunately, they're only available in a small size 7.  I also found it interesting that for as long as the gloves are, the modeled photo shows them worn very scrunched.  In fact, the gloves shown on the model look so much shorter, it makes me wonder if they're actually the same gloves!

These Charter Club long leather gloves by Macy's are a real deal at $63.99, regularly $128.00.  They're an even better deal as Macy's often offers an extra 15% off!  While not as long as the Bloomie's gloves above, these are a nice practical longer length for everyday wear.  Currently available in all sizes.  Even the item text is clever: You're in luxe. Sumptuous leather composes these long leather gloves that boast a decidedly femme fatale feel

These Saks black leather opera gloves are also a decent deal at $165.00, especially considering they're silk-lined and made in Italy.  Sign up for Saks e-mail and get an extra 10% off.  This basic-styled leather opera glove measures 19.5" long and is currently only available in a size 8.

Although a little pricier than I'd like, these stunning 23" long black leather opera gloves from Dents are available at Harrods.com for US $228.00.  These gloves feature a mosquetaire button and loop opening at the wrist and stitching detail on the back of the palm.  Currently available in sizes 6.5 - 8.