I have been selling leather pants in Baton Rouge for years, and the objection is always the same. "Michele, it is Louisiana. I will roast." I understand. But leather pants are the single most useful thing I put on a customer in the fall, and the reason has nothing to do with temperature.
They read as dressed. That is the whole trick. A pair of leather or coated pants does the work that a dress used to do, except you can wear them to the office, to dinner on Perkins, and to a football watch party without changing. If you only add one piece to your closet this fall, it is these.
Buy the coated pair, not the heavy pair
This is where most women go wrong. A thick, lined, genuine leather trouser is a January pant, and January in Baton Rouge lasts about nine days. What you want is a coated denim or a lightweight faux leather. Coated denim is a regular jean with a glazed finish on top. It looks like leather from three feet away, it breathes like denim, and it is half the weight.
L'AGENCE does this better than anyone and we carry a lot of it. The Kendra Coated Jean in Rye is the one I hand people first. Rye is a warm mid-brown, the coating is subtle rather than shiny, and it is a high rise that stays put. The Kendra High Rise Crop Flare in Antique Birch Coated is the lighter version of the same idea, in a soft oatmeal brown that works with cream and camel.
If you would rather skip the coating entirely, the Wanda High Rise Crop Wide Leg Jean in Dark Java gets you the same rich brown in a plain dark denim. A wide leg crop with a heel is a whole outfit and it is about as forgiving as this category gets.
The cognac pair is the one you will actually wear
Everybody buys black first. Black is fine. But a cognac or chocolate brown leather pant is the one that surprises women, because it reads softer and warmer and it does not look like you are going out at nine in the morning. I wear mine with a cream blazer and a cheetah print bag and that is a full outfit with three pieces in it.
All three of the pairs above are brown on purpose. Rye, Antique Birch, and Dark Java are three different temperatures of the same idea, and the one that suits you depends mostly on whether your closet leans cream or leans black. Brown against white is the whole look.
It feels considered without feeling like you tried, and brown plays with the camel, cream, and olive that most Louisiana closets already run on.
Three ways I style them
For dinner. Leather pants, a fitted white tank, a cream blazer pushed to the elbow, and a pointed nude heel. Add one belt with some texture to it. Done. The Brooke Double Breasted Crop Blazer in Ecru is the one I would put with these, and a cropped blazer is the right length over a high rise pant — a long blazer buries the waistline that a high rise just gave you.
For the office. Swap the tank for a silk blouse or a fine cashmere crew and trade the heel for a loafer or a low boot. The pant does all the work, so the top can be quiet.
For a game or a casual weekend. An oversized sweater over the top, sleeves pushed up, sneakers or a western boot. This is the version most of my customers wear the most.
Fit notes, because leather does not forgive
Three things I tell everyone in the fitting room:
- Do not size up. Coated denim and faux leather have no give in the waistband the way regular denim does, but they also do not stretch out. Take your true size. If it is snug at the waist on day one it will be right on day three.
- Mind the ankle. A crop flare or a mini boot that ends just above the ankle bone is the most flattering length on most women and works with both a heel and a flat. A full-length leather pant needs a heel or it puddles.
- Check the rise sitting down. Sit in them before you decide. High rise is almost always the answer, but the only way to know is to sit.
Come try them on
This is a pant you want to try rather than guess at. Come see us at 16645 Highland Road in Baton Rouge and I will pull three pairs in different rises so you can feel the difference, or call us at 225-223-6419 and we will set some aside. Sizes in the pairs above run thin quickly, so call before you drive over if there is one you have your heart set on.
You can also shop new arrivals and our clothing online with free shipping over $100, and free in-store pickup if you would rather try things on when you collect.