Slip into comfy sheepskin.

There are few things more luxurious and comforting than slipping into soft sheepskin boots or snuggling into a warm shearling jacket. Shearling is suede on one side and soft, shorn fleece on the other; the fleece is worn on the inside for warmth. As consumers demand higher quality, more natural and eco-friendly clothing, stylish sheepskin clothing and leather stands out for its superior qualities and investment value.

Sheepskin, also called lambskin, can be worn in both cold and warm climates because of its excellent insulating abilities. In cold weather, the plush fleece holds an insulating layer of warmth by trapping your body heat. In summer, the lightweight fleece keeps your skin cool and dry by wicking away moisture. Unlike other fibers, sheepskin can absorb up to 33 percent of its weight in moisture without feeling wet. It keeps you comfortable in a range of temperatures from -30F to 80F.

Our Favorite Footwear

Sheepskin’s remarkable qualities have made sheepskin boots, such as UGGs, the hands-down favorite for surfers, celebrities and stylish urbanites. Sheepskin boots were worn by sheep-shearers in New Zealand over 100 years ago. Since the 1970s, surfers have been wearing them to protect their feet after being in the water all day. No longer the surfer’s secret, sheepskin boots caught attention in the mainstream and are popular with everyone from soccer moms and babies to high school fashionistas and club-goers.

Fashionable fans will tell you that once you’ve worn a pair of sheepskin boots, you’ll never want to wear anything else. The boot’s breathable material contours to the shape of your feet to create a personalized arch support. Not only can you wear them anywhere and with anything, they feel like comfy socks while being extremely durable in all types of weather. There are designs to fit everyone’s tastes from rugged outdoorsy to flowery chic, making them just as stylish with skirts as they are with jeans.

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Stylish Sheepskin Clothing For Women and Men

Along with regulating body temperature, sheepskin conditions the skin because it contains lanolin, a natural moisturizer. While keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter, sheepskin is also buttery-soft – making it ideal for jackets, coats, gloves and purses. There are many ways to wear sheepskin items with this season’s runway fashions.

Women can “take one of the new sheepskin coats, add a long full skirt and fringed boot for an ethnic mood, or team it with an A-line skirt and a cashmere sweater and what you have is urban cool,” says fashion expert Hilary Alexander. The runways this season were full of bright colors, full skirts and embellishments, such as flowers and stitching. A tapered shearling jacket with contrast stitching offers the perfect earthy neutralizer to bright red or yellow. 

In Dolce&Gabbana’s winter/fall preview for men, they paired sheepskin with almost everything. Big jackets and long coats in hues of charcoal grays, blacks and midnight blues were paired with baggy trousers, leather vests and suede pants with fur cuffs. If you want less pimped-out shepherd this fall, try wearing a simple pair of boot-cut jeans with a more casual shearling-lined bomber jacket or lambskin three-quarter coat.

A Classic Look 

Whether for men or women, the nice thing about classic leather is that it never goes out of style. Lamb suede jackets and vests can be paired with anything from boot-leg jeans to a cotton knee-length skirt. Because it’s so versatile and natural, the leather jacket will remain a staying force in fashion in all its shapes and lengths. Unlike other fabric, it wears and contours beautifully with time.

Black and brown will always be the popular colors in leather, especially for men – but any length goes, from trench coat to hip-length, square bombers. Adding a sheepskin lining, especially for cold climates, adds luxuriousness and toasty warmth to an already stylish look.

 
An Eco-Friendly Investment

Sheepskin plays an important part in fashion not only for style purposes but for its eco-friendly role in the clothing industry. It’s considered environmentally friendly because shearing is a by-product of the food and wool industry and doesn’t pose a threat to any species. 

If you take care of it properly, sheepskin and leather should last a lifetime. It will stay clean if you brush it regularly and store in a dry place. Never apply direct heat sources to either fabric. When aired out, sheepskin is self-cleaning because of the lanolin which makes it dirt and bacteria-resistant.