I have fallen in love with one of your 1950s suits photos - section 4, fourth photo from the left.  I believe this is one of the earliest photos of a woman wearing a leather suit in mainstream fashion and I recall that there were some done at that time, although they did not become popular until the late 60s and then a huge upswing in the 80s.   (Editor - We replied that we were not sure it was leather and that it was more likely a silk cotton mix, Nimrod  replied below )

Well, that suit may be a heavy cotton/silk mixture but I don't think so.  As a devoted leather fetishist I usually have an instinct for the material! Here are
the  points I noticed:

1. The weather; if that isn't London in a damp, 1950's autumn then I'm a Dutchman's uncle! Cotton/silk most unsuitable - but leather would be perfect.

2. Notice the creases on the sleeves above the elbow and the way the sleeve has stretched and "bagged" a little - just like leather. Likewise the long
"pulling" creases from the shoulder along the sleeve - typical of leather!

3. Notice the "sailor collar" knot and bow - the hang is typical of leather; the flap of the collar suggests a weight and smoothness more of leather than
cotton/silk.

4. Notice the very pronounced seams on the skirt and the ridging of the material parallel to the seams, typical of early tailoring with fashion leather. The
couturiers were not used to working with leather and often used standard, rather than specialist techniques. Ladies leather motoring coats and even
motoring skirts (!) had existed in England since the turn of the century but they were not fashion apparel and no-one thought to get the specialist manufacturers of protective "leathers", such as Burberrys, to try their hand at fashion clothes like ladies suits or skirts! By the late 1920's and early 1930's women were already wearing leather coats for their practicality and warmth in the English weather, but the styles were predominantly masculine. The "explosion" of leather fashion coats in all colours came in the early 1960's.

5. Notice the broad hem and the puckering and creasing at the edge of the hem - again typical for leather.

Have you seen the film "Satan in High Heels"? Absolutely essential for an appreciation of early leather and has a fantastic close-up view of Meg Myles
bottom walking into a room in a red leather dress!

Hope this is of interest
Best wishes

Nimrod

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