Look of the Day: Leather Skirt, Lacy Sweater, and Military-Inspired Trench

It’s been a while since I last did a “What I Wore” post, so I figured no better time than today to rectify that! Just two days ago, the weather in New York was beautiful — the temperature started in the mid 30s but jumped to the mid-50s by about noon, indicating that springtime is, in fact, approaching. After the harshest winter in years, it felt like a day of celebration. That is, of course, until the downpour in the late afternoon and the subsequent temperature drop, which thrust us back down into the low-20s. Oh, well!

I took full advantage of that one warm day and wore a lighter coat that I’d been aching to sport: a BCBGMAXAZRIA double-breasted trench coat with a navy blue shell and faux black leather sleeves featuring lots of intricate stitching details. The black-and-blue color combination of the coat works so well, as does the wool and leather contrast since it gives the piece the perfect balance between classic sophistication and youthful edge.

Here’s a shot of me in the lovely trench:

Underneath the trench was a black-and-blue ensemble that, like the coat, played with juxtaposing feminine elements with more hard-edged touches. I donned an A-line faux leather skirt by BCBGMAXAZRIA, which is beyond figure flattering. The faux leather also looks completely real without having the heaviness of most leather pieces (or the hefty price tag!). I coupled it with a lightweight sweater, also by BCBGMAXAZRIA, featuring black raglan sleeves with loose, almost baggy cuffs and a semi-sheer navy blue bodice with a lace-like floral print (you can get a better look at the sweater in the photo above, at top). The sweater hits right at the waist and it features a high-low hemline, so that the back panel is significantly longer than the front and has a flowy feel to it.

Pairing these two pieces together made perfect sense to me since I love how sophisticated black and navy look when paired together, and I appreciate the concept of pairing a  good leather (or, in this case, faux leather) skirt with a softer piece like this sweater, which feels a bit delicate due to the lace motif along the front. Here’s a shot of the outfit:

Since it was still relatively cold, I wore some navy blue tights under my skirt and, since I’m a sucker for a good pair of booties, I slipped into my House of Harlow 1960 booties, which feature black velvet uppers and rows of golden buttons along each side panel to create a military-inspired effect that, incidentally coordinated perfectly with the trench.

Here’s a close-up of the House of Harlow 1960 booties:

As for the accessories, I chose a gold-toned, antique-looking J.Crew necklace with encrusted crystal stones throughout, and kept the earrings really dainty by opting for  tiny golden hoops with teardrop shaped cubic zirconias.

I did, however, go for the gusto with my rings, slipping on an elongated Lia Sophia ring on the index finger of my left hand and choosing two stunning Amrita Singh rings to wear on my right hand (one on the index finger and one on the ring finger). Here are some close-ups of all the finger candy:

Last, but not least, I infused some color into the look via my makeup — particularly the orange lip, which I created with Urban Decay’s Bang lipstick.

What do you think of the look?