101 Reasons to love Leopard Print

Leopard Print. Styles little helper. 

According to The Independent, Leopard Print is back with a hiss and a roar (see what I did there?) this sartorial season.  But for me, it never went away. It’s  been a staple in my wardrobe for quite a few years now, a hint of leopardy goodness here, a dash of leopardy goodness there.  But the subtle touches of the print dotted here and there has now turned into an all out obsession for my wardrobe and my well being.  I realise it’s quite a divisive print, somewhere south of voting for Trump or Clinton and north of “is tomato sauce on everything evil’? (a fight my Welsh husband and I like to have).

Yup, I love this neutral print to the point of adoration and I don’t really know why. One thing I do know, is that no two leopard prints are made the same and not every leopard print passes the test for me.  That’s right, no two leopard prints are created equal.  And right now, that’s never been more obvious.

The amount of Leopard Print in stores is at peak saturation.  Every high street store, every high end boutique seems to have a hint or a splash of it. While this should make me giddy (and it does in a way), it really just makes me more conscious of my print of choice and what attracts me to it.  And more discerning in my choices.

I’ve tried to break it down for you on how I choose it in my clothing, bags, shoes, accessories and furniture to give you all the reasons to love it. But this is no hard and fast list of rules, I just wrote it, ’cause I like to make sense of things.  But maybe all it’s done is confirm, I am loopy for leopard print and I will never really know why (or do I?).  Hint –  read to the end to find out what I discover…

5 reasons why I love Leopard print 

1. I love anything off kilter, not quite matching and Leopard Print makes my asymmetrical heart happy.  I tend to avoid things that are too perfect or matchy-matchy.
2. Leopard print goes with ANYTHING because leopard print is a neutral. Amen
3. Leopard print adds a pop of stylishness to any outfit, I promise, you just looked polished, finished and a little bit more snazzy.  Dare I say it, jazz-handy.
4. Leopard print will improve your life.  I can’t qualify that, except to say that it makes me very very happy.  Love you Leopard Print for ever and ever.
5. I had my own leopard print designed for Sisterhood of Style.  I would like it to make babies and spawn a piece of clothing, but I have to figure out how to make that test tube leopard print work.

The things that make me go hmmmm?

1. The print can’t have too much of a yellow base, but all can be forgiven if red or pink are involved.
2. Having said that, I prefer the leopard print of neutral tones, a beige or brown base, which makes me question who I am sometimes, because , well, read no 3.
3. I don’t like the colour brown.  Never have, never will.  When my husband gave me a mustard poo brown hoody I physically shuddered.  I never got over it.  But give me a leopard print with mustardy poo brown tones and I am like a frog in a sock.

Just how much Leopard Print do I have anyway?

At last count, I have over 30 pieces of Leopard Print readily available for me to wear, accessorise with, add to a handbag, lie on, put my feet up or wrap myself in. You’d think that was enough right, but it’s not.  I’m still searching for the perfect loafer (heavy enough for winter, but not too heavy to be masculine), flat boot, dress (I found one in Zara in London at Christmas, but it’s not quite perfect) and a winter jacket that doesn’t make me look like Godzilla.

3 ways to wear leopard print 

If you can’t stand it, never liked it, then we probably can’t be friends.  JUST JOKING.  I think.

I totally get the dislike (I mean I will empathise with your odd choice, I won’t like it). It’s kind of like me and florals – oops, no, got on that trend bandwagon too.  So how can you start to wear Leopard Print then?  Here’s how I did it with florals.

So if you’re new to it or just can’t stand it, but think you want to try it, here’s how to dip your toes in the Leopard Print pool:

1. By stealth and in small doses.  I have always had a  dislike of floral prints but slowly and surely, depending on the colours involved and the print,  it has crept up on me and now plays a small part in my wardrobe.  Leopard Print can be like that for you too – like the friend you didn’t now you wanted but now can’t live without.
2. Start adding to your style through accessories with similar print qualities, by adjusting to the print in bite size pieces and building up your resistance.
3. Alternatively go all out and wear it boldly, proudly and fabulously and a red lipstick!

It’ll get you eventually.

My current fave Leopard Print loves 

1. Try adding a hint of Leopard Print in a scarf, like this fab find from Seed
2. Go really wild with these pants from Decjuba – I team mine with a printed tee and a leather jacket.
3. Or this skirt from Kemi Telford, which I wear with a red striped tee and denim jacket.
4. If you’re still having an allergic reaction and don’t want to go all in, try a varietal of the fabulous Mr Leopard Print and head straight to Tortoise Shell.  Much like Leopard Print, but not all Leopard, all the time. My faves are these  Tortoise Shell hoops from Sophie Store.
5. And once more with feeling, Leopard Print is a neutral.  This means that it can be paired with anything, it can be “clashed” with another print and make you look like a freaking goddess, it can be worn with block colours, stripes and florals.

The only word of warning I have and  I don’t want it to turn into a thing, cause it’s no biggie.  But be careful (it’s not always a problem) when wearing it with other Leopard Print.  Because, no two Leopard Prints are the same, they may not get on well, even though you expect them too and you may resemble the love child of Scary Spice and Wilma Flinstone.

STOP THE PRESS and OMG.  I just realised where my love of Leopard Print came from – THE FLINTSTONES.  You heard it here first.

My wish is for you to give leopard print a go and embrace it, but if that’s just not going to happen, then at least you can appreciate it’s virtues from afar, on someone else and know inside and out they are having a better day because of it.

See you again soon, mmmmwah,

Love EJ, the Mother of the Sisterhood of Style x

PS: have you signed up to the Sisterhood of Style Newsletter yet?  I promise don’t spam, it’s called Friday Feels and every so often on a Friday (I’ll send you just 3 things you need to know. A quick bite size way to digest all things style). Plus, I’ll reveal any discounts, special offers, freebies and competitions there first!  So don’t miss out.  Sign up here:  http://eepurl.com/cCI4L1

Have a great week.  If you’d like to learn more about my styling packages, take a wander over here. x