Leather, good for more than jackets – just ask Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet and Ayo Edebiri, who rocked skirts, dresses and trousers in the season’s favourite fabric for awards season 2024

Apr 5 , 2024

Ayo Edebiri and Timothée Chalamet both rocked leather on the 2024 awards season red carpet. Photos: Getty

Hailey Bieber showed an oversized jacket still works, while Emily Ratajkowski wore a leather short suit from Miu Miu and Chalamet opted for an alligator suit at a Wonka press event

Experts Gaelle Drevet, of The Frankie Shop; Courtney Price, of Elka Collective; New Zealand designer Wynn Crawshaw and Sydney-based celebrity stylist Jessica Pecoraro weigh in who is wearing what well

Ayo Edebiri has quickly become the internet’s favourite fashion girl in the past awards season, donning everything from fire-engine red Prada to a slouchy suit from The Row. However, it was a custom, structured leather dress from Louis Vuitton that not only cemented her place on every best-dressed list, but proved that leather is particularly interesting right now.

We’re not just talking leather jackets. Which, by the way, you should be wearing oversized as per Hailey Bieber. Such pieces “work nicely as an everyday separate with a pair of pleated trousers, [or] with a bodycon dress”, as Gaelle Drevet, founder of ultimate cool-girl brand The Frankie Shop, recently told Harper’s Bazaar of the look.

Kim Kardashian at the GQ Men of the Year Party 2023. Photo: Variety via Getty Images

“This style creates an undone feeling, adding an edge that seamlessly transitions from day to night – a must-have piece that will become a staple in any woman’s wardrobe.”

The thing is, when it comes to must-have pieces in leather (and suede too – witness Kim Kardashian in a knockout caramel suede gown from Chrome Hearts at a recent event), the choices are endless.

What’s more, as the likes of Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet and Emily Ratajkowski have proved, you can even wear all of these leather pieces all at once.

Witness Ratajkowski in a teeny leather short suit set from Miu Miu, and Ariana Grande dressing like a chic chocolate bar in a lush brown wrap blazer with matching miniskirt. Chalamet, no stranger to a leather jacket, opted for a full alligator leather suit – amazingly, with a shirt for once underneath – for one of his Wonka press tour appearances late last year.

Timothée Chalamet at the premiere for his film Wonka in December. Photo: Variety via Getty Images

It’s not the first time that Chalamet has worn a full leather suit. And as British GQ quite rightly pointed out, there is a considerable amount of risk involved in men wearing a full leather suit. It can quickly go wrong if the leather is too tight, or a touch too Harley-Davidson heavy, or like you’re cosplaying Marlon Brando. But some star power helps. “Of course Chalamet is good at leather suits,” read one GQ headline.

New Zealand designer Wynn Crawshaw of Wynn Hamlyn is a fan of wearing leather and suede pieces together. “Styling leather on leather or leather and suede together is a big vibe. The same as how it’s celebrated to style multiple denims together. More is more,” he says.

Crawshaw also likes how leather in menswear has evolved. “It’s been interesting to see the return of leather pants in the last few years. Especially for men. From the menswear perspective, it follows along with the rise of men dressing more fashion-forward and ‘dressing up,’” he says.