Roughin' It

I don't have a particular issue with purchasing real leather,  but if I was presented with a choice between a real leather jacket for $500 and a faux leather jacket for $98 that felt like real leather, I would probably go with the latter - and bonus! no cows hurt in the purchasing of this faux jacket.  This brings me to my inspiration piece for today's outfit.  I was perusing the internet and stumbled upon this great faux leather jacket from Express.  It comes in 4 colors (black, cognac, current, and powder) but the Cognac really caught my eye - it can be worn with brown or black and it looks really expensive!  I like to keep this outfit simple since I want the focus to be on the jacket, so I paired it with a plain v-neck tee, a pair of skinnies, and some killer black ankle boots from Steve Madden - and although these boots look kind of badass in this setting, you could easily pair them with some black tights and a dress for a night out - they're a good versatile style.

To accessorize,  I found the beautiful "Crater Ring" on Shopbop.com and thought it added the perfect touch of style to the outfit, without being too "pretty".  I like this duffle shoulder bag from Forever21 because it is cheap (duh) and it really goes with the toughness of the outfit, without being too matchy.  The sunglasses are a nice addition to top off the look because they have some brown hues that complement the cognac of the coat.  If it happens to be a cool day, you could also add a scarf to the look for a bit of color.  I included a scarf here that ties together the cognac and black, and also adds some cranberry and blue hues to the mix - but there are lots of options when it comes to scarfs.  Mix it up with colors and patterns to give a tired outfit a fresh look. 

Items featured above:
Jacket:  (Minus The) Leather Belted Jacket in Cognac, $98, Express.com ($25 off using code 4368)
Scarf: Madewell Wooly Printed Open Weave Scarf, $50, Shopbop.com
Bag: Duffle Shoulder Bag in black, $34.80, Forever21.com
Ring: Alex and Ani Crater Ring, $58, Shopbop.com
Jeans: Real straight jeans (dark wash), $69.50, Gap.com (use code Gift123 for 25% off!)
Ankle Boots:  Steven - Brant; $129, Zappos.com
Tee: H81 Pocket Boyfriend Tee, White, $6.90, Forever21.com
Sunglasses: Marc Jacobs, Green stone inset aviator sunglasses, $219, bluefly.com