Happy New Year from my new home in the San Francisco Bay! The last few months have been bonkers, so blogging has taken a back burner while life gets figured out. In the span of two months, Mr. AN and I: got married (I’ll have a post on this later), moved from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area, traveled back home to LA to spend the holidays with family, and then back up to The Bay to spend New Year’s Eve with friends.
In a very Twilight Zone-esque twist of fate, somewhere between the wedding and the move, I managed to whip myself into a pretty aggressive stress-induced skin rash.
The Twilight Zone – Season 1, Episode 8 “Time Enough at Last”
…a bookworm laments how the world around him prevents him from doing the one thing he truly wants to do, read books. The world is destroyed by an H-bomb, leaving him as what appears to be the only survivor, with food to last a lifetime, and a heap of intact books from what used to be the public library. Finally, with all the time in the world and no one to stop him, he sifts through the pile of books he can now happily spend his life reading, only to accidentally break his glasses. Nearly blind without his glasses, he is unable to read the books he finally has the time to read, and exclaims, “That’s not fair! There was time now!”…
In my version, the books are wooly blazers/coats, and the glasses is an angry, clothing-hating rash.
“That’s not fair! There was cold enough weather now!”
Practically the same thing, right? ;)
A notch down on the Twilight Zone scale, this real leather crop top is from a store so opposite my sartorial senses, I was shy to admit I had ordered from them when Mr. AN asked what package I was waiting for. Sheepishly trying to explain my purchase to the look of concern on his face was no small feat. What store you ask? Nasty Gal.
And yet, somewhere among the club gear and modern hippie garb, I found exactly what I was looking for. An all leather, petite-friendly crop top, perfect for layering. Who knew? It fits beautifully off the rack, which is a plus because leather alterations are something I like to avoid.
So, Why a Leather Crop Top?
- My wardrobe runs on the prim side, so I like to include elements that add a little edge. Leather adds that element of edge while still staying true to my style.
- Crop tops are great layering pieces than can be worn over longer blouses or even dresses (like this look I totally plan to copy one day by LA girl, Sheryl).
- My favorite wardrobe element to play with is texture, of which leather is one. It looks so great mixed with the usual wardrobe wools, silks and cottons.
Put it all together and it makes perfect sense why the perfect leather layering crop top has been on my list of must-finds for a while!
— Outfit Details —
Coat Zara (old) (super duper similar…check stores)
Crop Top Nasty Gal
Shirt Banana Republic
Jeans – Rag & Bone (love, love these! On sale! Runs one size small)
Shoes J.Crew (runs narrow)
Handbag Valentino
Necklaces Vintage & Downtown L.A.
Rings Catbird, vintage, & Downtown LA
— Altered —
Coat has been completely tailored down
Heels have shoes pads added
— More Options —
Congrats on the unexpected find!
And even more than usual, you have my empathies about the rash, having spent a full month battling with one myself! I hope yours has resolved.
Ugh! You poor thing! Mine has finally resolved, so now it’s just living vigilantly to prevent a re-flare. There’s a lot of Cetaphil in the house right now. ;)
Happy New Year Kelly! Gah so sorry about the rash – that’s what stress (good and bad) can do to you! I hope you’ve recovered.
Great find on the crop top and I LOVE the way you styled it – very grown up and not clubby at all :)
Thank you Elaine! Happy New Year to you, hubs & Baxter! =)
you got the jcrew shoes too, huh?!? i love them. i only have one cropped sweater and i struggle with it.
I did! Picked them up sometime around November & just now getting around to pulling them out to wear. Love the print so much! Getting complimentary layers right for crop tops is tricky. I’ve found my longer shirts layer better underneath, and longer coats layer better over. Hip length anything has been no good. =P
Hi Kelly! I’ve never ordered from Nasty Gal, but since your post I’ve been browsing their site and found real leather leggings for a nice price. Since I am ordering internationally I wanted to get your advice with regards to quality. Do you think their leather is good quality? What about sizing? I am maybe just slightly bigger than you. Do you think their smallest size would be good for me? Any advice is much appreciated!
Hi Sari! I’ve only ever tried one thing from them, so I’m not an expert on sizing. I can tell you that in this leather top, size xxs fit me perfectly, so I’d suspect it would fit you as well in something as stretchy as leather leggings. As for the quality, it’s not the best leather on the market, which is passable for the price in the right garment. This top is something that won’t take a beating, and won’t need a lot of dry cleaning, so cheaper leather and construction is okay. For something like leggings which will take a lot of abuse (seam stretching in the hip, thigh and knee for sitting, thigh rubbing, etc) better quality will probably be a better bet. As an international customer, it’s probably safer to buy locally or a more tried and true brand…which really sucks because I know the price is good! I hope that helps!
Helps a lot! Thanks!
I’m obsessed with those heels! Such a great look!
x. Sabrina // Simply Sabrina
Thank you! =)
Such a good look! Hope you’re enjoying the Bay Area! Will you ever blog about what brought you there? I think you’ve mentioned you work in tech, but I’d love to hear more! (I lived in the Bay Area for 2 years working in Tech and am looking to move back in a year when I finish Peace Corps service) Enjoy all the delicious food for me :)