How To Choose The Right Leopard Print
DRESS (Zara, similar here and here) // BOOTS (sold out ASOS, similar here and here) // BAG // SUNGLASSES
I adore leopard print. Shoes, bags, dresses, sweaters...put it in leopard print and I'm all about it. But it's also one of those prints you have to be careful with. Buy the wrong type of leopard print and you can go from chic to eek! The mere act of Googling 'leopard dress' will show you what I mean. More than half of the search results scream Vegas hoochie, not the trendy sophisticate Jenna Lyons told us wearing leopard print would make us.
Sometimes you just have to weed through the junk to find the gem, and a good leopard print piece is definitely worth the effort. First, I look for a print with pretty saturated tones. Nothing that's too washed out or grainy looking. Don't choose a print that resembles an actual animal pelt like this one. And absolutely positively nothing bedazzled on top of the leopard print. Mixing prints is one thing, throwing a paisley on top of a leopard print is entirely another.
I like colors that range from golden browns and creams to black. Overly yellow tones look cheap, and so do bright whites. Again, don't wear something you thought you saw on The Flintstones.
Next, the silhouette is super important. A leopard piece is a statement maker by itself so beware of how it fits. A shift or maxi dress balances the sexy print with a demure silhouette. I don't love anything leopard that shows cleavage. Long sleeves and a high(er) neckline balanced by a shorter hem are the leopard's sweet spot!
I love this Zara faux-wrap dress that I got during their sale. It looks a lot like the Rachel Pally dress that costs almost 10 times as much! The swingy skirt and long sleeves give it just the right balance. It's an easy piece to style with black tights, booties, and a blazer for cooler weather, and to wear with pink slides when it finally warms up!
You can get a stylish leopard dress at just about any price point! Zara usually has at least one or two in whatever silhouette is currently trending. Equipment, a French clothing label, makes the perfect silk leopard print shift dress. It's price tag makes it more of an investment piece (for some, not for all) but it will never go out of style. That's the thing -- we're way beyond someone telling you leopard print is trending this season. It's considered a classic now -- what will make it timeless or trendy is the design of the piece. A wrap or sheath dress in the right style/print is the perfect piece to wear year after year.
These are some of my favorite leopard print pieces that are out right now! Leopard print makes getting dressed so easy -- it's all the statement you need so everything else can be easy peasy!
I've divided these pieces into Save and Splurge categories so you can easily shop for your personal budget!
SAVE ($100 or Less)
CARDIGAN // HIGH NECK DRESS // MIDI DRESS // WRAP DRESS // SLIDES // CREWNECK CARDIGAN
SPLURGE (over $100)
BAG // TANK // LONG CARDIGAN // RUFFLE DRESS // SANDALS // SHIFT DRESS
Hope you all had a fab Valentine's Day! How great is it we're already rolling into the weekend?? I'm not sure what we're doing yet. It's been a loooong time since we had a weekend to actually enjoy instead of hunker down at home sick. There is so much I want to do -- fingers crossed the weather will be friendly and let us get out of the house!
xxBrooke