today i love... my faux leather dress

Leather has been a fashion mainstay for a good few seasons now. But it was only about three years ago that little leather jackets came back into vogue, having been relegated for many a year to man-having-midlife-crisis territory, and many of us, myself included, worried that it might be a short-lived fad. Back then I bought a cute little faux leather bomber for a mere £35, not wanting to invest too much in the trend, and ended up wearing it until it literally started to fall apart. Fast forward a couple of years and my two real leather jackets, both cropped and butter soft, one black and one cream, are among the hardest-working pieces in my wardrobe. And with Christopher Bailey showing an abundance of leather biker jackets in his SS'11 show, we can be assured that the trend for leather jackets is very much still going strong.

But what of other leather items? Until about a year and a half ago the very idea was absurd. Leather on anything other than jackets was the stuff either of superheroes or German folklore. No fashion lover worth her salt would have gone near such items. But slowly leather pieces began to creep into the mainstream. It started with trousers: Kate Moss was pictured in skin-tight leather leggings, and naturally the fashion world followed. Then, over the coming months, other leather pieces began to emerge. Leather pencil skirts signalled the beginning of the end of the fabric's trashy associations: paired with a crisp white shirt, nothing could look more chic. And who can forget Wallis' brown leather T-shirt, for weeks showing up in every single fashion magazine worth its salt? Then came shorts, with the high street this summer dominated by everything from tiny hotpants to high-waisted cutout styles, as sported by Alexa Chung. And finally the leather dress, probably the most extreme variation of all, suddenly appeared on everyone from Angelina Jolie, looking sultry at a film premiere, to Olivia Palermo, keeping hers polished with brightly-coloured accessories and a megawatt smile.

But I was never quite sure whether to buy into this trend. While I undoubtedly love all things leather (especially a lovely soft squishy bag), I returned my leather skirt for fear that I would never actually wear it, and have not yet been able to find the right pair of leather shorts (mainly because they all seemed too expensive). So I didn't think I'd be one to fall in love with a leather dress. But while browsing in H&M the other day, I came across this lovely little number (below), and just had to try it on.

Yes, it's faux leather, and it's not even very good faux leather, so on the hanger it looks pretty cheap, almost like rubber. But then again, it is very cheap - a mere £14.99. Had I not tried it on, I would have been distinctly underwhelmed. But luckily, thanks to having seen my newest style icon Columbine Smille rocking a leather dress with neon orange lips and art-deco necklace (check out my post on her, and see the pic, here), I decided to give it a whirl. In the changing room I was awestruck by its figure-flattering abilities: this baby fits like a glove and, thanks to its thick fabric, moulds you into the perfect hourglass shape. The faux leather, which had looked its price on the hanger, seemed infinitely more high-end on the body (below you can see me trying it on - hopefully you agree!). Yes, ultimately I would have preferred a real leather version, but that would have set me back at least £100. Instead I've got a pretty decent substitute for a very decent price.

So if you'd like to snap up this little beauty, you can find it in H&M's new online shop. However, while I usually prefer to shop online, personally I'd recommend going into the shop to try this guy on, firstly because you really need to see it on the person to appreciate it, and secondly because if you buy merchandise from H&M online and take it back to the store, you'll get a voucher rather than a refund (which I think is rubbish - sort it out H&M!). If you'd prefer something of a little higher quality, Oasis' Faux Leather Mix Dress, £60, looks like a great option; I love the panel detailing on the front. If you're looking for the real McCoy, however, then I'd suggest Topshop's Premium Leather Tunic, £150: simply gorgeous. Whatever you do, just make sure you don't go for anything low-cut, as nothing says trashy like leather plus cleavage. As for how to wear it, I'll be taking inspiration from Columbine Smille in the evening and teaming it with bare legs, super-high nude heels (the ones I'm wearing in the picture above are from Primark, by the way) and a pop of bright lipstick. For day, I plan to dress it down with black opaque tights and slip a sheer silky shirt on top. After all, adding a little bit of leather is the perfect way to update your wardrobe, and at under £15, I'm not that bothered if leather dresses don't prove to have the longevity of their biker jacket siblings.