As soon as February arrives, it’s pretty difficult to forget that Valentine’s Day is imminent. Maybe you want to celebrate a relationship, maybe you want to impress someone in your lectures that you fancy, or maybe you’re delighted (or horrified) to see masses of pink hearts and flowers everywhere as you go about your day. Whatever your Valentine’s plans are, the holiday offers an excellent opportunity to re-examine the styles that we deem romantic, or even sexy. Although Valentine’s Day might initially inspire you to lean into all that is pretty, dainty, and elegant, I can’t help also associating it with some more audaciously sexy stuff. One look in the direction of any Ann Summers or Victoria’s Secret at this time of year pretty much confirms the theory that leather is just as on trend as lace is. It’s probably unsurprising that these Valentine’s styles have their roots in lingerie and underwear design, but incorporating them into your everyday looks can be a great way to give your style an extra sexy edge at this time of year.

“One look in the direction of any Ann Summers or Victoria’s Secret at this time of year pretty much confirms the theory that leather is just as on trend as lace is”

Lace - The regal and charming

Perhaps the more popular option for a romantic look, lace makes up the uniform of any lover of the pretty and delicate. Lacy fabrics have been in and out of fashion for centuries, exuding regality and intricate beauty. As if this wasn’t enough to make it a very fitting Valentine’s staple, lace also has a history as a part of burlesque and pin-up fashion, and has since become the status quo in any lingerie shop. Much like fishnet tights, which were initially worn by showgirls and revealed more than they covered up, lace is sexy because you can see through it – it is almost always transparent to some extent. It is this juxtaposition between the traditional and deliberately revealing aspects of lace which make it particularly sexy and impactful, an excellent ingredient in any Valentine’s look.

Leather - The bold and sexy

Leather has a long and varied relationship with fashion. Worn in military contexts since ancient times, and more recently as the armour of the radical and rebellious, leather has maintained a fearsome, erotic, and typically masculine connotation. This contributes to its prominence in the larger subcultural history of alternative and even fetish fashion, alongside other materials like latex and PVC. Leather items, such as jackets and boots, that have broken into mainstream fashion, as well as the more unusual leather harnesses and underwear, are all informed by this varied history in which its association with alternative LGBT+ and fetish counter-cultures played a key role. The political (as well as cultural) significance of these groups can be emulated by remembering their fashions, and although I’m not suggesting you don a harness for your supervision on Feb 14th, involving leather in your Valentine’s look can certainly make a powerful statement.

“Any of your favourite designers who are at least a little bit edgy have probably been inspired by fetish and bondage wear at some point”

As is often the case, what began in more controversial subcultural spaces steadily made its way onto the runway, then into the lingerie shop, before ending up a part of the mainstream wardrobe. Any of your favourite designers who are at least a little bit edgy have probably been inspired by fetish and bondage wear at some point, notably Thierry Mugler, Alexander McQueen, and Vivienne Westwood who worked with Malcolm McLaren on the SEX boutique, frequented by a whole host of influential punk celebrities. In more recent years, plenty of mainstream celebrities including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna have also been styled in leather. A staple of combat dress, luxury items, fetish wear, and mainstream celebrity looks, leather remains a symbol of status and power, and can make any Valentine’s look far more exciting.

Both - Do opposites attract?

Both leather and lace are pretty wrapped up in traditional divisions of masculine and feminine, old and new, even dark and light, and as a result some of the sexiest looks come from pushing these boundaries, and combining these different aesthetics. Just as leather’s roots in fetish are no reason not to wear it in your regular wardrobe, lace’s traditional association with femininity should not limit it to solely feminine styles. Restricting fashion to specific ideas of gender, age, or context does not allow you to properly experiment and create exciting looks. Often, it is through abandoning the typical masculine context in which leather is worn, or bringing lacy lingerie into your everyday looks, that you can discover what you find romantic or sexy. So, there’s really nothing stopping you from bringing together these contrary styles. Maybe in choosing your Valentine’s outfits, as in choosing a partner, opposites can attract.

“Maybe in choosing your Valentine’s outfits, as in choosing a partner, opposites can attract”

Neither - Get naked!

Although fashion can be excellent at capturing and amplifying sensuality, there is of course nothing that rivals the human body. Pieces that daringly incorporate mesh and other transparent materials, or are made eye-catching by carefully placed cut-outs, are very effective if you want to spice up a look. And, as much as it can be a lot of fun to explore the different fashions with which you can channel the romance of Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to get a bit bogged down in how overwhelmingly consumerist the whole affair can be. Tastefully balancing intimacy with consumerism can prove very difficult, and Valentine’s Day certainly poses this challenge. For many lingerie brands, I imagine, there’s a fine line between celebrating the colourful history of sexy fashion, and commodifying a holiday which is supposed to be devoted to love. Perhaps, in the face of this, the sexiest thing you can dress yourself in on Valentine’s Day is a state of undress.