The Haim sisters – Este, Danielle, and Alana – have become known for their foolproof Louis Vuitton stage uniform of minimalist bra tops and wide-legged pants. But the girls embraced a new, on trend look at the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2023 show, leaning into leather-accented couture. The looks were a great callback to the moto-tinged days of Y2K fashion. Danielle wore a red and black leather jacket over a slinky and luminescent brown dress, while Alana opted for an expertly crafted leather shoulder accessory, which, in our opinion, vaguely resembled the structural shoulder pads of American football players.
The marriage of hard-edged leather with softer silhouettes and fabric is fast becoming the major trend of autumn. Late last month, Rihanna sported a racing-style jacket by New York designer Dion Lee during a night out. In fact, Lee has provided moto fashion to more than one pop diva. The designer worked a plethora of leather-heavy looks for Spanish pop star Rosalía and her ongoing Motomami world tour. Diesel – an early-aughts mainstay – has embraced its motorcycle aesthetic with gusto, sending out brightly hued padded leather jackets for its autumn/winter 2022 and spring/summer 2023 shows. Perhaps racing of all kinds is in: Balenciaga’s spring/summer 2023 show featured a messy mud pit fit for a monster truck race.
The trend continued to reign during the Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2023 show. Creative director Nicolas Ghesquière sent out a handful of strong leather jackets, some featuring nostalgic patchwork designs, onto the runway. Which suggests an investment in a strong leather jacket now is bound to pay off for far longer than one season. Vroom vroom!
