Longori-ing For Leather

Leather. It’s a daring material, one a lot of people choose to avoid in a dressing circumstance. I remember when I was about 13, I had a pair of leather trousers. I made my mum buy them for me thinking I would be the chicest kid waltzing around in my PVC pants... wore them a grand total of three times, and two of those times I didn’t leave the house. It’s a versatile textile that has been worn in any manner of clothing, and Eva Longoria has proven this by waltzing  onto the red carpet of the AMLA awards in a scarlet leather red dress.

Now, if one of my friends told me they had recently purchased a scarlet, polo necked, long sleeved, to the floor, leather and lace enthused dress and were planning on wearing it to a  public event, i’d have asked them if they were on crack. The description doesn’t exactly provoke the best mental image, but in all honesty, Longoria makes it work.

The designer of this devilishly daring piece is Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad, who has built on his dream of evading the world of fantasy through design, to quote him “I don’t recall a day in my life without a pen in my hand”. Murad achieves this evasion of fantasy with the dress Longoria introduces to us. The dress is a amalgam of leather and lace, mixing feminine with fetish, bringing to contrasting worlds together and making the collaboration a success.

This has definitely been the most courageous of Longoria's red carpet choices, looking at her previous history for 2013 we have a combination of gorgeous floor length gowns, however this brassy dress definitely wins the award for boldest. Leather and lace have been used all over catwalks this season and is a great inspiration for dresses for the upcoming party season. The great thing I believe about this combo is that it requires minimal accessorizing, thanks to the excitement and busyness of the dress itself. Who knows what has inspired Longoria to don this statement look, maybe it’s her recent break up, maybe she's just been watching Jennifer Garner in Elektra too much. 

If you enthused by this match making of materials, but want something a little more low key and easier on the pocket, take a look at these choices that are out on the high street today: 

http://www.missguided.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/56330/s/darrine-leather-bust-lace-skater-dress/?geoip=off&gclid=CPSqoauy9rkCFYyWtAod1T8AFA

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Mini-Leather-Dress-With-Lace-Applique/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2709006&cid=13948&Rf900=3607&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=9999&sort=-1&clr=Blue&affid=5571&WT.srch=1&gclid=CNi7xerv7rkCFS3HtAodKEUAmQ

http://www.missguided.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/62922/s/milenna-leather-lace-skater-dress/?geoip=off&gclid=CIqAxNKy9rkCFVMftAodsBYAkg

http://www.asos.com/Motel/Motel-Strawberry-Skater-Dress-In-Skull-Lace-With-PU-Skirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3198125&cid=8799&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=9999&sort=-1&clr=Navy&affid=5571&WT.srch=1&gclid=CPe-6Iqy9rkCFXMbtAodb2gAYA 

I’d like to take my hat off to the courageous Longoria, she is one of few that could pull this look off, I know if I wore this dress it would look less fierce independent woman, more lobster has brawl with sewing machine. However it does inspire a new fusion of materials that we can all somehow inject in our wardrobes this season.