LEOPARD PRINT IS A NEUTRAL
Leopard print is a neutral.
Hear me out. Although to some, leopard - or any form of animal print for that matter - may be considered loud and attention-grabbing, I believe it to be a neutral.
Growing up in the UK, leopard print -for me- used to be synonymous with a popular TV character by the name of Pat Butcher. She was a regular on UK Soap Drama Eastenders, and was known for wearing WAY too much leopard print along with smudged red lipstick and over-the-top gold earrings. The original trend setter- lol.
I say all this to say, leopard print never used to have the best track record when it came to fashion. That was until we started to see the likes of Kate Moss rocking leopard fur coats with skinny jeans, silk shirts and scarves with leather boots- which became the “cool girl” uniform of the noughties. I was in my late teens/early twenties at the time, and was never a “cool girl”, so I observed the trend from afar like the outsider I once was - *cries in fashion reject*.
“Leopard prints never lose their spots or station in fashion.”
- Iman.
Much like the Fendi and LV monogram prints, these dark brown tones can be styled with a plethora of different colours, prints and styles.
Here I’ve styled the look in a more maximalist fashion. I wouldn’t label myself a maximalist, however I’m definitely not minimalist and like to have fun with my clothes! For the minimalists out there, you don’t have to shy away from leopard print, just style with more toned down separates e.g. a plain top, jacket and simple footwear. This way you’re letting the print stand out as the key piece.
I took the assignment a bit further and combined both leopard AND snake print. Surprisingly I think the result turned out pretty toned down. No?
I paired my animalistic look with one of my favourite pieces of outerwear- this Acne Studios belted jacket.
I remember first seeing the jacket on the AW18 runway and falling in LOVE. The whole collection was divine, but we’re not here to talk about my obsession with Acne Studios. We’re talking about leopard print.
Would you try mixing animal prints?
Oluwaseun x
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