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The mere mention of the leopard may make you yawn. We’ve been down the leopard road many times and who can blame you if you’re bored of being told it’s “the new neutral.”
So let’s try a different approach: how about leopard print is the new smart item? In fact, the smartest of the season. Add a strong pop of leopard print (a coat, a jacket, a belt, and a pair of kitten heels) to your tried-and-true basics and you’ve got an instant fall makeover.
To be clear, there are a lot of leopards out there (sheer blouses, flowy dresses, puffer jackets), but I wouldn’t go near any of them because they don’t pass the Smart test. It’s only been a minute since Marks & Spencer’s bias-cut leopard-print summer dress went off the rails, but we’ve moved on: autumn is quite a different proposition, and now the only leopard in sight is chic and elegant.
Leopard print has been ubiquitous recently, seen on celebrities from Salma Hayek (left) to Winnie Harlow (right).
Think Catherine Deneuve and Jackie Onassis, old-school chic with combed hair, sunglasses, a small heel and a pretty bag. This leopard moment is all about classic pieces that you can wear with the clothes you already own. Here are the do’s and don’ts of wearing leopard, coming fall 2024…
Way to wear leopard.
Hands down the best way to wear leopard – great on beige, black, cream and denim, any block colour, any neutral geometric print (florals can be too busy). The leopard coat that will serve you best is a simple Crombie style like Massimo Dutti (£369 massimodutti.com); It’s not cheap but you’ll have it forever.
Black near your face becomes tiring as time goes on, but black enhanced by the collar of a leopard coat is something quite different. Otherwise, there’s always faux fur, as long as you keep it looking soft. Try the one from Zara (£79.99 Zara.com)
Leopard print can break up the harshness of black near your face, especially as you age. This faux fur coat from Zara is a good example.
The middle road rule
M&S reports that there is a lot of interest in its new leopard print wide leg jeans (£45) and leopard trousers are definitely having a moment. Still, for many of us, it feels safer to let go of this and focus above the waist.
Try a lightly padded jacket with a crew neck, from Zara (€49.99) over a dark polo and pants. Or a sweater: Zara makes a fantastic short-sleeved jacquard knit top with a jewel neckline (€35.99) and a matching cardigan (£45.99) which can be worn alone or paired with a midi skirt and black boots or trousers.
If you have leopard print pants, great, just keep in mind that the rest of your outfit should ideally be black and certainly plain, and skip the coat.
An important element of leopard is a good rule of thumb.
Mango Below Knee Pencil Skirt
Skirts beat dresses
See the middle-of-the-road rule. This way you can add a black, beige or cream top and the effect is less overwhelming. The Leopard Print Midi Slip Skirt is still going strong if you’re skinny and tall (£35 brandsandspencer.com) or Mango’s below-the-knee plain pencil skirt (€35.99 store.mango.com) looks good with a plain gray sweater and a small heel.
Shadow is important
Zara Leopard Print Bucket Bag
This season’s print is darker and richer for a more vintage feel, or has more black in the mix. Stay away from beige leopard tones and any cartoony or abstract elements – the more authentic and bright, the better.
Mix two leopards
Duplicate it in two slightly different shades. Hailey Bieber, Mrs. Justin Bieber, was recently seen wearing a leopard print coat (probably Toteme) and a mismatched leopard clutch, showing how to rock the fall 2024 leopard style.
Zara makes a leopard print leather shopper (£189 zara.com) or a great bucket bag (£89.99 zara.com). Go for bigger, bolder styles with leopard, nothing cute and small.
Accessories for life
Leopard print slingbacks can be worn with pants or a midi skirt. Left: Sam Edelman shoes available at John Lewis and, right, similar shoes from H&M.
A leopard-print ponyskin high stiletto is still a statement, but a leopard kitten heel is something you can wear with pants or a midi skirt and a sweater.
Mango Skinny Leopard Print Belt
If you want to pair jeans for the evening, a pair of mid-heels like Sam Edelman’s at John Lewis (£175 johnlewis.com) or H&M’s slightly superior style (£27.99 hm.com) do the job. Leopard flats, especially ponyskin ones, are a great complement to black pants for the office: Zara’s ponyskin style (€55.99).
Wear a skinny leopard print belt with something simple (£25.99 store.mango.com) and combine it with a leopard bag.