Sh*t Guys Should Know About Fashion - #7

From my personal experience, fashion can be pretty hard to follow if you don’t know what people are talking about. So I thought that starting the Sh*t Guys Should Know About Fashion segment would be a great way to unravel most of the jargon you hear or read about fashion. 

If you’ve got any confusing terms to add to the list, just drop them in the comments section and I’ll be happy to help!

Today’s fashion term is:

Suede is a type of leather with a raised, fuzzy finish. It’s made from the underside of the skin. The term comes from the French "gants de Suède", which literally means "gloves of Sweden”. It’s commonly used in fashion for shoes, bags, shirts etc.
Personally, I think suede is a great fabric to work with, it’s all about the texture and the rich colours. It’s a great substitute to leather and translates well from formal to casual looks. It’s one of those fabrics that needs a lot more care but seeing a pair of well maintained suede shoes is so worth it. So far I’ve got 4 pairs of suede shoes, I’m sure I’ll be adding a couple more by the end of the year!
When I was researching for this post I came across lots of myths and rules regarding suede (which I’d actually never heard of). Some of the most popular ones was: “never wear suede in spring or summer." Thankfully most of them were just misconceptions. You can wear suede all year round with just about anything. It’s the versatility of suede that makes it so appealing. From luxury bags and shoes to the best sneakers on the high street, designers seem to turn to suede as a way to add depth and texture to fashion. Spring/Summer 2012 is definitely the right time to wear suede. Here are some of my top SS12 runway looks featuring suede:

Just like most types of leather, the uses of suede aren’t just limited to shoes and accessories, Have a look at the BLEU06 Suede Edit for some inspiration:

Ami Raglan Sleeve Suede Bomber Jacket - Mr PorterTOPMAN “CATO” Suede Trim Shoes - TOPMANTOPMAN Blue Leather Classic Belt - TOPMANNike Blazer Hi Suede Shoes - Urban IndustryCOS Suede Panel Sweatshirt - COSZara Suede Combined Briefcase - ZARA