Cobalt one-shoulder top with bronze satin maxi skirt

A one-shoulder top in cobalt satin, cut into panels with black leather: a diagonal leather band runs from the covered shoulder to the opposite hip, a leather strip edges the neckline and the hem flares into a short peplum. The one sleeve is a stack of three tiers, satin over leather over satin, so the shoulder reads as a shape before it reads as a sleeve. Under it, a bronze satin skirt, high-waisted and floor-length, with enough fabric to pool.

This is a winter evening look that works sitting down, which is rarer than it sounds. The leather keeps the bodice rigid, the satin does the colour, and the skirt takes care of the rest of the room. Nothing on the ears but small hoops; the sleeve is the ornament. A pointed pump under all that satin, or nothing anyone will see.

I was asked to hold still. The skirt did not get the message.