I met up with my old friend Q in Sunny California while on a trip to the fashion district of L.A.
We talked about flannel mixed with leather, A-frame retro long patent vinyl skirts, and open backs.
Open Backs:
I love the open back shirts, dresses, tunics, etc. You can use a very conservative cut or fabric and mix it with an open back and get excellent contrast. The open back is incredibly erotic, and adds an element of mystery in that it’s only visible when you’re not facing the viewer.
Flannel & Leather:
Flannel is traditionally a very functional fabric. Pair this lumberjacks material of choice with a form fitting pencil skirt and you’ve got a great combination that is both warm, maybe a bit boho, and attractive all at the same time.
Latex Street Style:
Tiffany Hsu wears one of my favorite combinations – the grandma sweater with a latex peplum skirt. Latex is such a unique and eye grabbing material – you have to mix it with something more conservative to wear it on the street. Tiffany typifies the right look!
I appreciate the emphasis on mixing latex with conservative elements, because head-to-toe latex rarely works for everyday street style the way you described.
The contrast between lumberjack flannel and a form-fitting silhouette is such a clever twist, and I like how you framed it as warm yet still attractive.
Meeting up with Q in the LA fashion district sounds like the perfect backdrop for these ideas; the flannel with a pencil skirt combo really stood out as both practical and unexpectedly polished.
I hadn’t considered mixing flannel with something as sleek as a leather or fitted skirt before, but your take makes it feel wearable rather than costume-like.
The A-frame retro patent vinyl skirts mentioned early on feel like they’d pair well with those open back tops you highlighted later, creating a nice balance of structure and reveal.
That Tiffany Hsu example with the grandma sweater and latex peplum skirt perfectly illustrates your point about balancing bold materials with something grounded.
It’s interesting how you tied all these looks together through contrast, whether it’s texture like latex and knits or visibility like open backs versus modest cuts.
The way you described open backs being only visible from behind really clicked for me, especially when paired with conservative fabrics to create that subtle but striking contrast.
Your take on open back pieces being a bit mysterious rather than overtly revealing is refreshing, especially since so many trends lean toward obvious statements.