leatherette

noun

1. (also, attributive, countable, uncountable)A type of fabric, often plastic, made to imitate the appearance of leather.

   “Many attempts have been made to supply a material to take the place of leather on cheap books, but hitherto nothing has been quite successful. [...] Such a material has apparently appeared in the form of "Leatherette," which is a kind of felted paper, very tough, the same colour throughout, and which may be grained to imitate leather; indeed, the imitation is so close, both in appearance and in feel, that only a practised eye can perceive that it is not leather.”

   “Material.—A rather stiff quality of jute board or tar board, similar to that used by bookbinders. Straw board is not serviceable, being too brittle. Also leatherette for covering and some figured paper for lining. Also some muslin or sateen for hinges. This should match the leatherette as nearly as possible in color. (Leatherette is an imitation leather, very durable, obtained at a paper house.)”

   “The present bound book will be changed to a loose-leaf one, by shearing off the back and punching the leaves to fit an up-to-date cover. We have obtained a neat, classy, leatherette cover for this purpose, using imitation leather because it is neater than cloth, and cheaper and more durable than real leather.”

   “[T]he pink throats of gramophones opened their giant convolutions in a soundless chorus; or bicycles shining in neat ranks seemed to await the signal of an invisible starter; or tiers of fancy-goods in leatherette and paste and celluloid dangled their insidious graces; [...]”

   “[H]e proceeded to a very hard seat in Block J. and, having forced his way into it, was immediately ordered to force his way out again for the purpose of hiring two small leatherette pads from the Kumfy Kushion Company—who, however, had only one small leatherette pad left, so that Chunks Rivers found himself in considerable torment long before the downfall of England began.”

2. (slang)A person, especially a woman, who dresses in leather or imitation leather.

   “The NYU [New York University] tarts and the club slime, the art holes and the once-a-week bridge-and-tunnel leatherettes, the spikes and the usual dregs and walking garbage, Eel was giving them all the hiss.”

   “Since I seemed to know some of the leatherettes, I was a magnet for fellow Jews wanting to know what was going on.”

   “I could tell in advance if they were screamers, or leatherettes, or buggers, or great head-givers, or into toys and ticklers – I had it down to an art.”