Styling Faux Leather Trousers - The Daytime Edit

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A little while back I set myself a bit of a challenge. Despite really liking a pair of faux leather trousers I had acquired some time ago from H&M, I found I wasn't wearing them very often, tending to fall back, as I so often do, on my tried and tested jeans. I was determined to change that, so I laid out the faux leather trousers on my bed and told myself I wasn't going anywhere until I had figured out both a daytime and an evening look that worked with them.

Did I succeed? Well, I ended up buying a second pair of trousers for the evening look, so I'm not sure that "succeed" is the right word! On the other hand, I have two new outfits in my wardrobe that I might not otherwise have thought to put together, so on the whole, I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

The original trousers, featured here, are very similar in style to a pair of skinny jeans, though not quite so tight fitting around the calf and ankle. They are comfortable to wear and have a fair bit of stretch in them, while the sheen from the faux leather fabric makes them eye catching and a nice change from regular jeans. Mine are from H&M and were bought some time ago, but they always seem to have something similar in stock - I have linked a pair below which look almost identical.

For the daytime look, I opted to go for something fairly sleek and smart. While faux leather trousers can look great dressed down, it can all start to get a little bit too grungy for me - not a look I can pull off well. I'd been lusting after a long-line belted blazer for a while, having seen more and more of them popping up on Instagram in recent weeks, and when I spotted this one on the River Island website, I could instantly see it working perfectly with the trousers. The fact that it can be belted at the waist creates a really flattering silhouette, and also means that even petites like me can get away with the longer length. In addition to this, the black panels down the sides help to streamline your figure even further. I find the sleeves a touch too long, but they work well rolled back, so this isn't an issue. As for the grey check print, it's a classic that looks super smart and works beautifully with black.

Once I had the blazer, adding a simple, fitted black turtleneck underneath seemed like the perfect pairing, while the structured handbag and high heeled stiletto boots completed the look nicely.

It's been a while since I worked in an office, but I reckon this outfit would be a great addition to a workwear wardrobe. Personally, I'll find it useful for those occasions when I have events to go to in London, or even for a smart lunch or coffee date. Switch the heels for some sleek flat boots or loafers, and you could do an afternoon's shopping in this get-up too.

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I'll bring you the evening look in another post soon, but in the meantime, I would love to know how you would style faux leather trousers for the daytime. Let me know in the comments!

Kate x