Plus: Lisa solves your fashion dilemmas below
The first and last time I wore leopard print was in Dallas. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The photographs suggest it wasn’t.
What can I say? My friend Carolyn and I have developed many animal-print theories over the years. We both always loved Kate Moss in leopard print and needed to understand why it wasn’t having quite the same effect when we wore it. After all, it’s a classic, isn’t it?
She thinks you have to be blonde but Angelina Jolie, Barbra Streisand and Naomi Campbell, way back in Azzedine Alaïa, all suggest this isn’t quite the root of our problem.
Would it help if we were the kind of women who could carry off great fat flicks of feline eyeliner? Up to a point, but there are women – Moss again – who wear it with no make-up.
Maybe you had to be a minimalist/maximalist/slightly punky/rock chick/French/Kate Moss herself… Perhaps zebra/cheetah/tiger would suit us better. Round and round we went before laying the whole zoo to rest. We were at peace. Rather than seeing it as defeat, we viewed it as a mature acceptance that you can’t wear everything that catches your eye.
But over the past year or so, leopard print, which never goes completely dormant, has been re-energised, and it is being worn in interesting, fresh ways. Take Irina Shayk in her cute cotton, almost utility-uniform leopard combo; or Maya Hawke, lightening up a fashion-sombre black cashmere wrap coat with an animal-print satin shirt dress.
On the catwalks it’s been reinvigorated too: see extravagantly plush, black and white animal-print coats at Alaïa, and black and grey capes (with matching trousers – maximalist heaven) at Batsheva. Meanwhile at Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri made slim skirts and matching cropped cardigan jackets over black polo necks look graphic and sophisticated... less of a vamp vibe, more intriguing-architect.
Why is any of this worth revisiting? Because animal print is versatile and, unlike some geometrics and florals, doesn’t date. No need to go overboard. Anything from a jacket to a sliver of scarf will add some life to creamy neutrals.
Silk blouse, £175, Rixo; Leather pouch, £115, Aspinal of London
Jenna Lyons, the former executive creative director of J Crew turned influencer-entrepreneur (and Real Housewife of New York), famously said, ‘As far as I’m concerned, leopard print is a neutral.’ She has a point. In its flashy way, it goes with everything, including other prints. It’s just about wearing it with conviction and not overthinking it.
Mint Velvet has two styles of leopard-print trousers – the ones I’m wearing here, and a cargo pair – which it teams with plain cotton shirts and little denim jackets. They would be good for evenings too, but you might want to play them down with a velvet blazer or a chocolate V-neck pullover. It’s almost as if they’re jeans. But spicier.
Try these...
Swimsuit, £89, Whistles
Modal and silk scarf, £12.99, Zara; Wool-blend cardigan, £312, Galvan
Slip skirt, £35, M&S ; Leather shoes, £45, Schuh
Lisa’s outfit details: Tencel and wool shirt, £295, Mother of Pearl; Slim jeans, £89, Mint Velvet; Leather sandals, £225, Russell & Bromley; Leather and straw bag, £135, Cos; Sunglasses, £27, & Other Stories; Gold-plated earrings, £101, and bangles, £102 for three, Amrika x Misho; Square gold-plated ring, £75, Ballinger; All other jewellery, Lisa’s own
Lisa solves your style dilemmas
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