Welcome to the first edition of the Fashion Vlog with Mike Harris. I’ll be bringing you my unique insights with a variety of co-hosts on a weekly basis. Today, we are going to talk about winter fashions. My favorites include leather ‘hooker’ boots (per my co-hosts comments), knee hight crocheted stockings, and lots of vinyl, leather, and latex fashions.
I have a love for mixing in sensual fabrics like vinyl or latex with conservative fashions like trench coats, cable knit sweaters, etc. If you wear leather from head to toe, it comes across at too over-the-top, too sexual. Mix-in those thigh high leather stiletto boots with a burberry scarf, classically styled trench coat, and a pair of proper-fitting tailored jeans, and you have an outfit that appeals to everyone.
Concept of Contrast:
Latex fashions have been primarily bedroom wear. But, you can work in latex into mainstream street-wear if you apply the concept of contrast. Wear a latex or shiny vinyl skirt with a mo-hair sweater. The slickness and sleekness of vinyl mixed with the furry, non-sexual nature of mo-hair leads to a great contrast that can be worn anywhere.
Concept of contradiction:
I love sending mixed signals. It creates intrigue, mystery, confusion – it adds interest. If you wear leather boots with no heal, jeans, and a sweater there is nothing of visual interest. You look like everybody else. If you want to join the “normcore” movement and wear jeans and white t-shirts everyday, so the only thing that stands out about you is your words and actions – fine, I get it.
But, if normcore is not your thing, please don’t be normcore via failure to wear interesting fashions. Wear those leather boots with no heal, your grandma’s sweater, but instead of jeans, pair it with faux leather stretch leggings. Better yet, if you can find a pair of leather leggings with a strategically placed zipper in the rear to highlight your assets and also remind people of how they come on and off 🙂
Zippers are great because they break the visual landscape of the fabric and draw the eye. They also are a visual cue / reminder of how the clothing comes on and off. Zippers and their placement can be quite scintillating.
I hope you enjoy the video. Please feel free to comment – as I would love to hear your feedback and requests.
I liked the point about head-to-toe leather feeling over-the-top, and how breaking it up with a trench coat or scarf makes it more approachable. The Burberry scarf example helped visualize it clearly.
Mixing thigh-high boots with tailored jeans and a classic trench felt like a strong example of balancing edgy and conservative. That combination seems like something people could actually try without feeling costume-like.
The contrast idea with a vinyl skirt and mohair sweater really stood out, especially how you framed it as making latex more wearable outside the bedroom. That’s a practical way to tone down bold materials.
Your take on avoiding accidental normcore was refreshing, especially the suggestion to swap jeans for faux leather leggings with a chunky sweater. It’s a small change that really shifts the whole look.
The section on zippers being a visual cue was interesting, especially how placement can draw attention and add intrigue. I hadn’t really thought about hardware details influencing perception that way.