It may sound strange to say that you get your fashion inspiration from your mother. But looking through old family photos of my mother in the 1980s, certainly got me thinking of how alike my fashion sense is compared to hers when she was my age.
Looking through the large amount of photos, one in particular caught my eye. My mother, Julie stood next to a Mini Cooper wearing a gorgeous vintage tan suede jacket. I wanted, no, NEEDED to find out more about this jacket.
She styled it with dark denim flared jeans, a plain white tee and heeled boots, of course the typical early 80s style before the dance trends but it certainly inspired me to go and buy a suede jacket.
Six months after I looked at that photo, I couldn’t get that jacket out of my mind. I struggled to find the perfect suede jacket, even with the 70s trend coming back in the fashion world I could not find one. I spent hours looking through websites trying to find one but still I had no luck.
Until, I was shopping in Primark and out of the corner of my eye I spotted not one but two gorgeous suede fringed jackets. One in grey and one in tan. Hallelujah, I had found my dream suede jacket and in Primark for only £25!
The fit was perfect on the sleeves and the front fell loosely. Fringed suede went from one end of the sleeve, all the way across the back and to the other side. It also has a variety of fringing on the front too.
Of course being me, I bought both colours as I could not choose between the two. For me, this was the beginning of my suede obsession. Over the next few months, my wardrobe began to increase in the suede department. From dresses to tops and even bags, who knew that this obsession started from one vintage photograph?
The high street went crazy for this trend, from H&M’s mini dress to Marks & Spencer’s midi skirt that sold out in minutes, everywhere you went you could not escape the growing trend.
If I did have one piece of advice to give to someone who is wanting to wear a suede piece; always check the weather forecast before you plan a suede outfit. Trust me, I’ve now learnt my lesson to never wear suede in the rain. RIP suede top.
