There's 53% more leather clothing being stocked and sold this year according to fashion data gatherers EDITD. Whereas once wearing leather was a statement of rebellion, now it's as ubiquitous as denim for daytime, a regular on the red carpet, and an entirely acceptable addition to your work wardrobe -- a leather pencil skirt and a buttoned up shirt passes anywhere, even in the square mile.

So let's look at its journey from bad boy to boardroom...

Until the 1950s leather was the reserve of aviators and other practical types, and it was James Dean, seen here in Unlighted Road, 1955, who took it mainstream as a cool-kid staple. 

And as if we needed any more proof of its cred, Elvis, seen here in Roustabout, 1964, sealed the deal. 

The leather hero list may have been dominated by men so far, but Diana Rigg changed all that with her role as the perpetually leather-clad Emma Peel in The Avengers throughout the 60s. YouTube it - bet you'll end up wanting a leather catsuit. 

Brigitte Bardot's leather hat showed it's not just all about the jacket in 1962, although she would admittedly look great in anything. 

The original rocker-girl, Marianne Faithfull, demonstrates the edge leather adds in 1968. 

Not just a pioneer of power suits, Joan Collins was an early champion of leather separates in 1967 and 1971.

A reminder that Helen Mirren was quite the wild child in 1975, and this skin-tight leather dress certainly ups her game. 

Vivienne Westwood has always courted controversy, and going hell for leather, bringing it to the forefront of fashion via her Sex boutique, was one of the first way she did so. And could you get a more controversial spokesmodel that the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious, seen here with the designer in 1976?

Over in NYC the punk scene was feeling leather too - you'd need something wipe-clean at CBGB. Shrunken leather jackets worn by The Ramones are especially memorable. 

Chrissie Hynde made leather part of her uniform, and you have to admit, she out-cools the rest of her band The Pretenders, seen here in 1982. 

Always one to try her hand at a trend, Kylie went double leather in 1989. 

Move over James Dean, the 90s came with a new leather poster-boy, and his name was Jason Priestley.   

And its poster girl was Drew Barrymore who looked unfailingly brilliant in an over-sized biker jacket, pictured here in 1990 and 1991. 

But let's not forget about Winona Ryder, whose gothy get-up often included leather, as here in 1992.

Cher's better known for her more risque leather looks (she was doing a mega-high crotch leotard before Miley was even born), but who'd have thought that 20 years after this picture was taken in 1993, the same style of leather dungarees would be a total sell-out on ASOS?

It's surprising that Lisa Loeb's leather and leopard baby-doll dress, worn in 1994, hasn't made it onto more 90s lists, because seriously, how much do you want one?!.

Like the wallflowers they both are, Madonna and Elton erred on the side of minimalism with their leathers. But seriously... how killer are all those studs? Elton, you paved the way for Gaga's Versace phase. 

Who knew that fifteen years later, half of Dalston would end up nicking Emma Bunton's 1997 candy-leather look? A blue-print for the 90s retro-revival, if you will. 

Of course, it's not always been plain-sailing for leather. In 1999, this happened...

But fast-forward to 2013 and it's leather love a-go-go, on the streets, on the red carpet - everywhere. 

Alexa Chung is often seen showing some skin. 

Linda Evangelista strikes a perfect balance between vamp and casual at the Proenza Schouler spring 2014 show in New York in September. 

Cara Delevingne does a streetwear version of leather leaving the Giles spring 2014 show in London in September. 

Charlotte Ronson's bottle-green dress further cements the case for coloured leather at the Don Jon premiere in New York in September. 

Lessons in how to make leather shorts look ladylike (the key: mix with Chanel) from Miranda Kerr, leaving Chanel's spring 2014 show in Paris in October.  

Will the classic biker jacket ever stop being cool? Not if the quilted Burberry Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore arriving at LAX in October is anything to go by. 

And in case you needed it, Erin O'Connor offers more proof that the biker rules at a Louis Vuitton dinner in London in September. 

Leather's not just for winter, says Reese Witherspoon in a transeasonal skater skirt in LA in September. 

Miroslava Duma goes texture clash/colour math at the God's Love we Deliver event in New York in October. 

The leather T-shirt, a one-time sell-out at Whistles, is still going strong on Leigh Lezark at the House of Waris for Forevermark party in New York in October. 

Anna Wintour's style might be prim, but she's still got a thing for leather, such is the fabric's present-day ubiquity. 

Leather trousers look as smart as a tux on Emmy Rossum at the Tory Burch spring 2014 show in New York in September. 

You can never go wrong with a leather pencil skirt (especially if you are Julia Restoin Roitfeld), the perfect companion to a silk cami, as seen at the Whitney Gala in New York last night. 

Leather, we love you, and we promise to keep you in our wardrobes for life.