How I wore my statement vegan leather coat: Style Notes

November 8, 2021

After all this waiting, the weather finally has a chilly bite to it now here in California. You know what this means: Time to break out my favorite cold-season garb from the dusty corners of my closet. (Or you know, start shopping for a few new wardrobe treats.) And a high-impact, calf- or ankle- grazing coat should be an indispensable part of that transition. Why? Well, for starters, there are the practical aspects — they keep you warm, even the parts bomber jackets tend to literally leave out in the cold, like your booty.

Of course, there’s the fashion part, too. Throw on a statement coat on your ensemble of basics, and voila! You’ve got yourself an easy-to-put-together, high-voltage outfit with little to no planning. Which is exactly what I did when I was getting dressed for the ‘Gucci Love Parade.’ (Have you read my coverage of the show? If not, click here to read what it was like being at the event.) I’d watched Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele’s fall 2021 collection, and I was inspired by all the leather peppered throughout — which is why I opted for a leather coat.

Materiel Tbilisi is always a go-to brand for me, and I had been on the hunt for this vegan leather coat ever since it sold out a few seasons ago. Luckily for me, it surfaced back on the internet. Thank you, eBay! I can’t tell you how excited I was when I managed to snag it at only a fraction of what it once cost. This does translate to bad news for anyone who wants to get this exact coat, but don’t fret. I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite statement coats that’ll work equally hard in elevating your look. For the rest of the outfit, I kept it simple (read: lazy) with a basic bralette, high-waisted mom shorts, black boots and little nods to Gucci: a Gucci leather belt with the iconic interlocking G buckle and a pair of retro-looking Gucci sunglasses.