Recently, I decided to get into leopard print. The jungle is not my natural habitat. I am a city girl, which means my clothes are monochrome and pragmatic. For parties, I might segue into gold, maybe even polka dots. But leopard? Leopard is for Kate Moss, Eartha Kitt, Alison Mosshart, Elizabeth Taylor and Rihanna.
And also, apparently, for me. Buoyed by the many excellent takes in recent collections, I felt myself tempted, like Bagheera upon encountering a succulent steak. How could anyone not be persuaded by Prada’s Sixties-inspired coat, Stella McCartney’s handkerchief-hem tea dress or the knee-length A-line skirt in Alessandro Michele’s inaugural Resort collection for Valentino? Here was leopard looking fresh again, thanks to the collective imaginarium of these clever designers.
A lifelong refusenik, I figured it would be expedient not to spend too much on a print that had spawned so many grave misgivings. So I bought a short leopard-print shift dress from M&S for £35. I’ve worn it so many times I’ve lost count. Well, “worn” in the sense of “tried it on in front of the mirror while fruitlessly searching for shoes, tights and an outer garment that work”. I’d hoped to channel Nineties-era Patsy Kensit. The mirror didn’t agree. Some sort of patsy, yes, but not Kensit.
In all the years I’ve been writing about fashion, it fascinates me that the trend I find hardest to wear is also the one I find hardest to write about. It’s so easy to succumb to clichés and pull out hoary old references or suggest that timid types could start by wearing it on their feet.
This season, though, there is a compelling argument to do so: never before have the footwear gods bequeathed so many wondrous wares. Every decade is represented, from Seventies-style platform sandals to Eighties stilettos, Y2K ballet pumps, modern clogs and, of course, the leopard boot. The ultimate pair of the season? Alaïa’s knee-length iterations.
While the catwalk has provided us with the playbook, it’s the street that is teaching us the rules of how to play – namely, that there aren’t any. Few trends illustrate fashion’s current lack of prescription so winningly as leopard. Leopard-print jeans? Go right ahead. Clash it with tiger or cow print? Knock yourself out. Head-to-toe leopard? It’s a vibe.
The author and stylist Erica Davies would agree – she titled her first book Leopard Is a Neutral. “It works with everything if you consider it as you would a camel, taupe, beige or brown shade,” she says. “I’m so passionate about treating it as a neutral that I happily mix it with other prints. A floral or stripe – particularly in the same tones – always looks chic. There’s also something inherently glamorous about textures worn with leopard.”
As for the idea that leopard and minimalism can never make happy bedfellows, you only need to look at archive photographs of Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow to be convinced otherwise. Leopard has always been the purist’s favourite print. Those who favour clean lines are best to restrain themselves to one leopard-print item, worn as a solitary point of interest against a backdrop of black.
While it might have a reputation as a “fun” print, these connotations are relatively recent. For centuries, leopard functioned as a visual shorthand for status. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, leopard-fur coats signified wealth and high social standing, a notion that persisted well into the 20th century thanks to endorsements by figures such as Jacqueline Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth II.
Early summer may be upon us, but that’s no reason to eschew buying a leopard-print coat. This is the UK, after all, and a trench or duster coat will quickly earn back its cost per wear. Skip faux-fur leopard; instead, opt for simple styles in flat fabrics, perfect with jeans and a white T-shirt.
With some deliberacy, I haven’t yet mentioned eveningwear – likely because leopard’s “wild” and “sexy” connotations are what repelled me for years. Leopard can be sexy, but in a fierce, empowering way. Whichever version you choose, it’s this message that feels important. I’m giving my shift dress another try.
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