Cobalt pleated balloon-sleeve top and leather-panelled skirt

A cobalt top in fine micro-pleats, cut with an asymmetric folded neckline that stands up on one side and rounded balloon sleeves that end at the elbow. The pleats give it weight and spring at once, so it sits close at the waist and inflates at the arms. Below, a tiered midi skirt in cobalt satin with wide panels of black leather at the waist and across each tier, a black leather peplum over a satin skirt that falls to the ankle.

It is a sit-down outfit: coffee at a cafe table in an old stone street, or dinner in the same street after dark. Spring and autumn, no coat, the sleeves handle the breeze. A pointed black boot or a black sandal, both fine. Small hoops and nothing else; the pleats are already the texture.

One espresso, no sugar, and a skirt that does not care how long I sit here.