Even if you don’t enjoy following the trends, it can be advantageous finding ways of wearing leather for us women over the age of 50.
Not only do the faux leather pieces of today look contemporary, but they also have a couple of advantages over knit items.
Quote of the day: “A big part of being confident is being brave, and you can’t be brave unless you’re scared.” Bo Burnham
For some reason, you may think that wearing leather over age 50 is too “out there”. Leather has a reputation for being edgy. Yet that thinking is something from the past. Nowadays, every age of women is wearing it in every type of clothing and in every color.
I would say it’s not just for biker chicks anymore.
And we are here to prove it.
Wearing leather over age 50
Leather vs. Faux leather
Pink leather instead of black leather jacket
Leather pants for 80-year-old women
Colorful leather top
Other examples
How do you know that wearing leather over 50 is modern? Because I’m seeing it at the stores where older women tend to shop. Chicos? Yep. Banana Republic? Yep. Even Talbots was showcasing some faux leather items.
And I don’t mean shoes or purses. I’m talking about clothing items.
Does this mean you have to think about wearing this material? Of course not. But you might be surprised how much you like it if you try it.
And the secret to trying it on a budget? Look at second-hand stores, or borrow an item from a friend to see if it works for you.
Leather vs Faux Leather
The genuine leather items are certainly fabulous, but the faux leather material has come a long way in looking and feeling good.
There are pros and cons to each variety of course. I always like to say that not all items are created equal. You may be surprised at the drape and softness that some of the faux leather pieces have.
Whether you prefer real leather items or faux leather clothing, there are good reasons to give it a go.
1-The material doesn’t pick up pet hair. If you have a fur baby, this is one of the best reasons to wear these items because it won’t be obvious that you have a pet at home.
2-For the colder weather, it’s quite warm.
3-Not only does pet hair not stick to it, but if you are a klutz, food doesn’t stain it either.
4-Easy to clean with a wet rag most times.
Related post: What to wear with leather pants
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Pink Leather Instead of a Black Leather Jacket
Lesley will tell you she is more conservative in her clothing style, and wearing leather is not on her radar much. That being said, she has a black leather jacket (that she has worn here) and this pink leather jacket (worn one time with pearls).
I do think that anyone can wear a leather jacket, and it doesn’t have to be because you’re going to ride a motorcycle. In fact, the fact that they are offered in multiple colors makes them seem better suited for everyday life.
If you tend to be more conservative in your style, I have another blogger friend who just wore a faux leather dress and answered some questions about it. Her name is Kay, from Dressed for my Day and I think you’ll love her style.
Pink and Grey
As described, Lesley’s conservative style had her pairing the pink leather jacket with a neutral color. She chose the color grey for her pants and shoes.
And by wearing a pink shirt under the pink jacket, she basically created a twinset for the top half of her look.
Insider tip: Another modern aspect of the look is the cropped pants. Lesley shortened these herself after buying them. If you worry that the wide-leg pants seem overwhelming, then making them shorter to show off your ankles is a fabulous trick.
Extras as Part of Wearing Leather Over Age 50
Lesley added a couple of extras that really give the outfit personality.
One is the layered necklaces. You might not even realize there are two necklaces around her neck, but that’s one of the secrets of great necklace layering. Combine 2 necklaces that are very similar in color or beading and have them be the same length. This makes them look like one.
Related post: Layering necklaces experimentation
Leather Pants for an 80-Year-Old Woman
I’ve been seeing faux leather leggings on women of all ages, but if you don’t believe leggings are pants, then here’s another option.
Wider-leg pants. Now, in all honesty, I twisted my mom’s arm to buy these when we were at Goodwill. They are a great color and are a nice option for winter pants.
Looking at them now, they could be a tad big on her, but luckily she is a good seamstress and can fix that.
You can see how I wore a skinnier version of faux leather pants.
Brown pants are one of those neutrals that really should be very versatile. Charlotte wore a salmon-colored turtleneck and then a white jacket to give the overall look some brightness and fun.
The cherry on top is the addition of turquoise accents.
Turquoise Accents
When you feel like your outfit needs some color and brightness, you might be surprised that turquoise is the way to go. It’s such a great way to add color to a more muted outfit.
It’s not like you need a lot of turquoise items to have it noticed. My mom wore a long necklace, crossbody purse, and earrings. Sure, there are rings and a bracelet too, but those aren’t as obvious from far away.
Related post: Wearing turquoise jewelry with every color
Check out her fun socks too. They have an owl on them (for those of you who don’t know, my mom has an owl obsession). Whimsical socks are definitely fun to wear in the wintertime (and exactly why they were part of my One-Size-Fits-All gift guide.
Colorful Leather Top
I splurged on this top last year for my birthday when I had a birthday reward at Ann Taylor. Even though it’s longer than my normal tops, I knew I could wear it in multiple ways. In the past, I’ve tucked it in, and I’ve worn it under a jacket.
Today, I layered it over a sweater so you could see it better.
Since it is a longer shirt, I thought about the proportions when styling it and paired it with a shorter skirt so the top half is 2/3 and the bottom half is only 1/3.
Over and under. Those are the two words I try to remember with all of my clothing items. You can layer almost everything over something and under something. While I’ve worn this faux leather top under a jacket before, this time I decided to make it the top layer.
Insider tip: My pink sweater under the teal top is a cardigan, buttoned up and worn backward. There are many ways to wear a cardigan in unique ways, as I’ve discussed before.
Accessories
You may think this is a hodgepodge of different colors but isn’t that what most pieces of art are all about? Why limit me to only one or two colors?
The teal and brown print are muted, so I added brightness with my boots and scarf. The earrings and purse are meant to shine but as non-colors. The company, IslyNYC, that makes the earrings have a lot of this translucent material which is nice because it’s lightweight. Use code, L1QX92I3NS, to save 10%.
Insider tip: This is my large Ovcio scarf that was styled here. Because it is sheer, I was able to fold it flat and then layer it. You can see the video of how I styled a similar scarf on Facebook.
These boots are fabulous. They were a pair I won in a giveaway from the brand New Bella. I love how the heel isn’t too high and they stay up wonderfully.
Other Examples
Wearing leather over 50 is not a new idea for us or anyone. I hope you keep an open mind and consider trying some of the options. Personally, I will tell you that what we wear really does affect our psyche and can make you feel more confident.
1st photo-I recently found this brown faux leather skirt at Goodwill and styled it with a graphic tee, utility vest, and sneakers.
2nd photo-Charlotte made faux leather skirts for Nancy, myself, and her many years ago and we have worn them many times. Mom recently styled hers with some feminine accents.
3rd photo-Faux leather leggings have been popular for a couple of years, so I experimented with 5 ways to wear them last winter.
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