Hi, stud (redux)

I know I've used this title before, but in a post about studs and spikes, it's far too fantastic not to repeat. You know what else is far too fantastic? STUDS AND SPIKES. Yeah, we saw that one coming. Studded-and-spiked everything is everywhere right now, ranging from sexily prim to punk-reminiscent edgy. And there is NO WAY that something I could describe as "sexily prim" is passing my wardrobe by. Oh hells no. Just look at those SHOES up above. LIKE SERIOUSLY, take in how glorious they are. Unf. So in the spirit of the thing, here's a rundown of a few awesome different studded options, plus three gloriously differently-styled studs-and-spikes outfits. With fanfiction models, because I have way too much fun making up stories about fictional fashion girls.

Accessories are definitely the easiest way to add a bit of spike to your wardrobe, and debatably the cheapest, although once you reach Meadowlark that may not be the case. Nevertheless, as I declared on Facebook while putting together this post, "There is never a time that I go to the Meadowlark website and come away disappointed." 

In this case, Meadowlark have ever so thoughtfully created three ring options - a wee pyramid stud ring, if you want to ease into it; a black gem knuckleduster, for a bit more swag, and a full-on spiked ring, for those times you feel the need to a) reconnect with your teen Goth roots or b) cause some proper damage punching someone. (I'm not sure that I actually would - I don't want to get blood on my pretty things, after all.) They also have this lovely faceted pendant, which isn't quite what I think of when I hear "spikes" but the pointy jagged shapes totally work.

Spiked or studded detachable collars are also excellent for mixing it up a bit - this one is from Etsy, but they abound all over the internet, and you could even DIY one (with or without the shirt attached). I feel like this, layered over a floaty chiffon blouse, would create a fantastic hard-soft contrast. And at the seriously affordable end of the scale (and I don't mean "fashion magazine affordable", I mean "skip buying a coffee for two days") is this adorable Glassons studded hair clip. The hot pink is an excellent pop of girly colour in what can otherwise be quite a dark aesthetic, and at six bucks, it's the perfect "dip your toe in the water" option.

If you're up for more studs than just accessories, I feel like spiked shoes are an excellent way to get the look into your wardrobe without worrying that you're spending too much money on a studded blouse or dress. And because they're down a bit lower than your boss' line of sight, you could potentially get away with wearing a pair of spiked shoes to work (whereas a giant studded collar might be pushing the bounds of "acceptable work wear"). This is certainly what I plan to do with the black-on-black spiked pumps from Mi Piaci. I am totally aware that they are essentially knock-offs of the Louboutin heels I posted above, but a) they are significantly less than $1500 (especially with the discount voucher they thoughtfully mailed to me) and b) I can try them on in-store. So I am pretty okay with this.


The other heels here are the Kate Sylvester patent studded pumps, which are hot-secretary sex in shoe form, and Jeffrey Campbell Lita Spikes. I have a friend who owns the KS pumps and a friend who owns the Litas, and all I will say is that they are really, really lucky we don't have the same shoe size, because if we did, I cannot guarantee their shoes would be safe. And the Glassons stud slippers are both remarkably budget-friendly AND "schlepping around town on days when heels are too much" friendly, which makes them an awesome and quite frankly necessary shoe for my wardrobe. I get swooned by heels all the time, and flats really need more of a look-in. Oh Glassons, is there anything you can't do? (Answer: yes, make clothes using properly enough fabric, but for a cheapie chain store, they do what they do pretty damn well).


And now for the funnest part (seriously, it's the Most Fun):

Sarah's Super Important Event (a cocktail party/design world schmooze) had been red-lettered into her iPhone for months, but what to wear was a big dilemma. She wanted to look sleek and professional, of course, but also a little bit edgy. Her quandary was only exacerbated when she found a pair of Louboutin spiked stilettos, magically in her size and MARKED DOWN FIFTY PERCENT. Finally she came to the conclusion that a little black dress might be the standard, but it was the standard for a damn good reason, and when she found the Kate Sylvester slub-silk dress dress with a studded waistband, she was totally reconciled (bonus: POCKETS for her iPhone). She straightened her hair into an excellently sleek bob, drew on some perfect cats-eye liquid liner and a slick of red lipstick (to match the soles of her shoes, of course), and added her Meadowlark knuckleduster just for a bit more bling.

Mikki had long grown out of her teenage Goth phase, but show her a swatch of tartan and a few spikes, and it did still get her pulse going just a little bit faster. That said, though, this time around there were never going to be any Hot Topic tartan miniskirts, New Rock boots, or laddered stockings, even if she was going out to a grungy dive bar for Saturday-night drinks with a really hot guy. She'd learned some things in ten years, and one of those things was "high heeled boots and tight black jeans". She threw on a Ricochet black leather-trim jacket over her ruffled tartan blouse, added a detachable collar, and when she couldn't decide between her two spiked rings, gave up and wore them both. Pale foundation and black lipstick were definitely out, but smokey black eyeshadow was very firmly in, and all in all she not only took the hot guy home, but got to give fashion tips to the baby bats in the bathroom, so it was an excellent night all round.

Annabelle adored dressing prim-and-proper-secretary, but she also adored leather. Sadly, she thought, never the twain could meet. Until she found this Ricochet leather pencil skirt, that is, and that made everything better. After that, it was a very short step to give into the power of Kate Sylvester's studded merino sweater and patent high-heeled pumps (which really were totally sedate and professional, if you didn't look at the studs up the back...). The three-quarter sleeves of her sweater highlighted her favourite gold feather bracelet fantastically, and adding soft pink-and-grey eyeshadow and a slick of candy-pink lip gloss brought a bit of colour into her otherwise monochrome black. She was really very pleased with the result, especially because the next time she was at the other branch office for a meeting, she reduced the gorgeous lawyer girl she'd had her eye on for the last six months (and who wore the most beautifully tailored androgynous suits) to uncontrollable blushing. It was a most excellent  outcome all round, she thought.

Hi, stud (or: Sandy from Grease is way hotter at the end of the film)

So this morning, with the weather all bloom-y and warm and lovely (Wellington weather, y u do dis with the changing of the seasons constantly) I decided "Self, it is time to rock some 50s retro style. Get out your winged eyeliner and your preppy knit shirt and your floral circle skirt. And let's do a high ponytail with the ends curled." Not having the time or inclination to argue with myself that early in the morning (well, 10.30, which is not really early by any stretch of the imagination but still) I faithfully curled my hair, and winged my eyeliner, and put on this adorably twee shirt. 

And then I got to the point of putting on a floofy petticoat, and held up my floral skirt, and something in me rebelled. Sandy is way hotter at the end of Grease than at the beginning, it said. And not owning a pair of tight leather pants, a ruffled leather miniskirt was the next best thing. Aww yeah. Admittedly, the shoes I wanted to wear were my super-high black wooden platforms, but when my flatmate cautiously agreed with me that yeah, they might be a little too trashy, combined with the short leather skirt, for my workplace, these little floral brogues were the next best thing.

Details (click picture for larger version): Pink/black silk shirt, Fred Perry. Leather ruffled miniskirt, Ricochet. Black tights, supermarket. Floral brogues, Shoe Connection.

Ruffled leather miniskirt: more versatile than you might think

So a wee while ago now, I decided, on somewhat of a whim, to buy a ruffled leather miniskirt from Ricochet. Well. It wasn't really a whim. I'd been contemplating it for a bit, going so far as to ask friends over drinks, "FRIENDS. SHOULD I BUY A LEATHER RUFFLED MINISKIRT, or jeans." Unanimously the answer was MINISKIRT but then the further addendum was a $200 price difference between a good pair of jeans and this skirt. 


AND THEN. AND THEN. My excellent friend from Pearls in Vinegar called me one Saturday afternoon to let me know that said skirt had been reduced from $330 (eesh, a little much to splash out on) to $130, and that she'd taken the opportunity of putting one on hold in my size. Clearly the universe was on my side regarding leather ruffled miniskirts and their place in my wardrobe. (Said excellent friend later took the opportunity to buy her very own leather ruffled miniskirt. She and I have Significant Wardrobe Overlap, which makes for careful pre-event coordination to avoid the terrible awful no-good faux pas of wearing the same item.)


So then I had this miniskirt. And I found myself wondering, "How do I even wear this thing? Is it a party-only thing?"

(Credit to Hyperbole and a Half)

And then I did.

One (one leather miniskirt! Muahahaha!): work-appropriate tailored

This is, I think, the most work-appropriate of my coordinations, involving a cute little Japanese floral cotton jacket belted over the skirt. The jacket is cut with a lovely flared peplum so it sits nicely over the ruffles of the skirt, and with a belt cinching in the waist, it's an excellent emphasising-the-hourglass style. If I worked in a more conservative jacket, I would probably amend this by switching the flat boots for classic black low-heeled court shoes, pull my hair back, and possibly add a black blouse underneath to hide my tattoos, but as it is, it's a lovely crisp look which de-emphasises the sexiness of the skirt while still allowing the leather miniskirt awesomeness to shine through. 

Details (click picture for larger version): Japanese-floral dobby-cotton jacket, DeVol clothing via Frutti. Leather ruffled miniskirt, Ricochet. Opaque tights, supermarket. Black suede boots, Mi Piaci. Black patent belt, Cue. Gold cuff bracelet, vintage via Trademe.

Two (two leather miniskirts! Muahahaha!): party drapery

For a party or going out, keeping the skirt demure isn't a problem, so I coordinated this with a loose singlet and a draped chiffon over-top. Also, a temporary-tattoo fingerstache, because I'm super cool like that. The singlet is actually super-long at the back, so I tucked it up into the waistband of my tights to stop it from showing under the hem (fashion is so hi-tech) and pulled it out from the waistband of the skirt so it fit loosely with a bit of a flash of black bra. I'm a classy, classy lady :P

Details (click picture for larger version): White singlet with black print, Glassons. Leather ruffled miniskirt, Ricochet. Opaque tights, supermarket. Black chiffon over-top, Glassons. Black ankle boots with wood heels, Number One Shoe Warehouse. Amethyst and acorn pendant, Madame Fancy Pants and Trademe. Fingerstache, temporary tattoo, gifted via Ikoiko.

Three (three leather miniskirts! Muahaha... okay I'm bored with this): girly prettiness

This was another work outfit, and I really like the contrast between this delicate, floaty silk/cotton blouse and the leather skirt. Again, in a more conservative workplace I'd probably add a tailored blazer over the top, and possibly switch out the boots for pumps. Also possibly black nail polish might not be appropriate. Sigh. This blouse is adorable, though - it's from Karen Walker, who normally I'm not a big fan of (she overcharges for things made-in-China and not particularly well-made or designed at that, and trades on her big name to do it) but this blouse I love. It's covered in ruffles and a cute little print of wee girls and boys, and I'm always and forever a sucker for a pussy-bow tie.

Details (click picture for larger view): Silk/cotton blouse, Karen Walker. Leather ruffled miniskirt, Ricochet. Black opaque tights, supermarket. Black/brown wedge ankle boots, Mi Piaci.

Four: casual floral comfy

Never let it be said that a leather miniskirt cannot be worn in a casual, comfortable errand-running outfit on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Pearls in Vinegar knows it, and I am totally down with this trend. In fact, because this skirt fits incredibly well over my waist and hips, throwing it on with a pair of tights or leggings, flat boots and a cute t-shirt is actually more comfortable than jeans. It doesn't ride down, it doesn't give me muffin-top, it doesn't have a seam up the inner-leg, and it doesn't wick rain up from the cuffs all the way to the knee (pro-tip: never wear jeans in the rain unless you're tucking them inside boots). You might recognise the print on this t-shirt - I also own a dress version in grey, because when I like a thing, I buy all of it.

Details (click picture for larger version): Black floral t-shirt, Kate Sylvester via Trademe. Leather ruffled miniskirt, Ricochet. Grey marle tights, Glassons. Black suede boots, Mi Piaci. Grey merino draped cardigan, Glassons.

Five: casual Friday cuteness

Why yes, I am coordinating a leather skirt with an adorable Peter-pan collar and pearls. It's how I roll. I probably wouldn't wear this as a normal work coordinate (it's not quite tailored and crisp enough) but for casual Friday it does just perfectly. No jeans-and-a-t-shirt in my casual Friday ensembles, thank you very much.

Details (click picture for larger version): Cream peter-pan collared top, Peter Alexander. Leather ruffled miniskirt, Ricochet. Black opaque tights, supermarket. Black suede boots, Mi Piaci. Gold cuff bracelet, vintage via Trademe. Cream glass pearls, vintage via Trademe.

So what, dear readers, have I learned from my foray into leather miniskirting glory? Apart from the fact that they are awesome, it really is that this skirt is really rather versatile for such a seemingly-niche item. With the addition of judicious tailored items, such as a crisp blazer or jacket, or a demure and pretty ruffled blouse, it becomes work-appropriate, while dressing down with a draped cardigan and t-shirt is remarkably easy. Also, opaque tights or leggings are an absolute must. Ricochet, I am impress.