I’ve been on the prowl for great fall finds & one trend that keeps stopping me in my tracks is leather & it’s just not going away.  Why should it? The luxe, lush material adds an edge to a feminine blouse, contradicts a flirty skirt, makes you look like a rock star, or just helps any Style Darling stand out a little bit more.  Take it from some of our favorite celebrities, including Jessica Chastain, Kate Bosworth, Lucy Hale, Nicole Richie, Sophia Bush, Maria Sharapova, & Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

My previous post about summer leather shared looks worn by Emma Stone, Alexa Chung, & Julianne Hough, but our calendars change to fall in just a few days, so why not start looking at ways to wear leather- or faux leather in this case, that can really spruce up your current wardrobe, as well as help welcoming the season.

At the recent celebration of New York Fashion Week, we saw lots of leather in recent posts for Runway Rundown, including Spring 2013 collections by designers Jason Wu, Holmes & Yang, Oscar de la Renta, & Michael Kors. Also, there was more leather to be found hitting the runway with metallic pencil skirts from DKNY, jackets by Marc Jacobs, pleated dresses by Tracy Reese, cut-out accents from Pamella Roland, & chic tops for Helmut Lang, as seen below.

However, when it comes to affordable fashion, it’s not always easy to find leather when you’re shopping on a budget. Enter: faux leather. You can’t forget that faux leather isn’t harmful to animals & is always less expensive.  It’s so easy to find faux leather separates, jackets, & dresses these days & I couldn’t decide on just a handful of items, so brace yourself… there’s a lot to look at!

What caught my attention to start posting about all these leather trends was a recent post made by Venus that I spotted on my newsfeed on Facebook.  These looks all include faux leather items, including (from left to right) the faux leather trimmed blouse ($36.00), faux leather mini skirt ($32.00), peep toe ankle strap heel ($39.00), sweater with faux leather ($18.00), faux leather leggings ($44.00), & faux leather dress ($64.00) in black. Of course, I couldn’t just write about items from one store, so here’s some more!

I should disclaim that I do not condone wearing any of these items with other faux leather pieces. You can take that risk if you’d like, but to avoid looking like a biker chick or appearing as though in costume, I’d recommend allowing for one item to be the standout & then mix with other fabrics to create a multi-dimensional & textured look.  First, the zipped faux leather denim skirt ($19.80) comes from Forever 21 & is available in plus sizes 12-20.  Underneath, you’ll find the essential faux leather shorts ($15.80), which are perfect for fall with tights & ankle booties.  Pair either of these bottoms with a fabulous blouse, studded tee, or menswear-inspired button-down.  The a-line skirt ($39.00) from Joe Fresh is cute for bringing to life the looks worn by Selena Gomez & Nicole Richie at the top of this post.  Also, add just a hint of leather with the zip back pencil skirt with (minus the) leather ($59.90) from Express.

We all know that leggings are all the rage right now, so to find the perfect pair for this edition of Basics for a Bargain, I turned to H&M for their leggings ($24.95) in black, which are also available in white, if you dare! Break these bad boys out with a chunky oversized knit & your fiercest pointed toe pumps, or help a graphic tee look less casual & top it off with a satin blazer.

I also found the plus size tee with faux leather shoulders ($34.99 – $39.99) from Jessica London & Antonio Melani Sardinia faux-leather top ($34.65) @Dillards which pair well underneath a suit for the office, or with dark denim pieces like jeggings or a mini.  If all-over leather isn’t your thing, then the touch of texture on the shoulders helps frame your face & becomes an accessory to your look. Lastly, the faux leather strapless cocktail club dress ($54.99) in black 2 cute 2 trendy crawls near the borderline of pinup, but with asymmetric zipper details, you could be working it just like Kristen Stewart or Brooklyn Decker do when making red carpet appearances.

Which leather pieces are your favorite? Which celeb looks the best in leather? Are you a fan of real leather or would you rather wear faux leather? How would you style your leather look? Happy Styling!