Yes! You CAN look posh in patent
PATeNT leather. Now there’s a material with a split personality. Close your eyes and think about it. What do you see?
A burlesque dance troupe? Or perhaps a gleaming pair of Sunday best T-bar Mary Janes worn with snowy white tights and just about every party dress of your childhood. Complicated, right?
either way, one thing is for sure: patent is one of those potent and potentially overpowering ingredients for any outfit, and is best added judiciously.
Frankly, this is the reason I’ve shied away from the whole business for years.
But patent has been creeping back into my mind — from the Zaha patent leather midi skirt (£213, anthropologie.
com) I find myself lingering over, to the patent Gucci Marmont loafers that whisper ‘Buy me, buy me’ when I spot them in a magazine.
At the Milan spring/summer 2018 fashion shows this autumn, there was a patent polka dot mac on the Prada catwalk in both a grey and red colourway that had me and the Red magazine fashion editors sitting up and taking notice.
Slick, wet-look rainwear promises to be a big trend going into 2018, too. So if you are seduced into buying a shiny patent coat to brave the squally winter showers, chances are it will reward you with several good months of wear.
I have some theories about fashion’s penchant for patent. On the catwalks, I put it down to the Demna Gvasalia effect — the designer behind French label Vetements and now Balenciaga’s creative director.
THe rule-breaking, bad taste/good taste, supersized patent trenches he created for the Balenciaga show, worn with over-the-knee sock boots, have been influential on designers and the High Street.
On a more primal level, we are all craving texture right now. Take a spin around the High Street stores and you’ll notice they are filled with pillowy duvet coats, teddy bear furs, sumptuous velvets and slick-to-the-touch patents.
Perhaps as so many of our activities migrate online, we increasingly want our realworld experiences to feel good, as well as look good.
Speculation aside, the question remains how to wear patent without looking like you are auditioning for Kinky Boots. As ever, it’s a case of tempering patent’s hard edge with something softer. For instance, the patent Anthropologie skirt I am so enamoured with would look perfect with an ochre or cream mohair sweater and a dogstooth-check duster coat.
Do not attempt to pair it with a plunging top or a matchymatchy leather jacket.
To look relaxed and modern, it’s about mixing up textures.
On the subject of trousers, I love the patent vinyl trousers by Kitri (£75, kitristudio.com). The cropped length provides a counterpoint to the potential vampishness of the material.
I’d wear these with midheight chunky heel loafers and a billowy oversized shirt with dramatic sleeves or a Prince of Wales check blazer.
The Studio by Preen collection at Debenhams has a patent vinyl skirt (£65,
debenhams.com) with an A-line cut that just skims the body and a hemline that stops at the knee (much chicer than a pencil skirt). Wear with a cableknit sweater with bell cuffs. There’s a red version, too, if you are feeling bold.
Meanwhile, a patent ankle boot is an instant sartorial pick-me-up that will sharpen jeans and give a bit of punch to a long floral dress. Zara’s faux leather patent sock boots (£29.99, zara.com) are a fun way to try the trend.
A note on patent mini-skirts (and you will see plenty about on the High Street): I wouldn’t. That way lies burlesque dance troupe territory. This season, it’s all about sophisticated patent. Slick, but never oily.