LEOPARD print is back in business – and fashionistas are feline fine about it, going totally spotty for the trend.
It’s a wonder EastEnders’ Kat Slater didn’t rise from her faux fur wardrobe to rejoice when Dior unveiled its racy revamp at Paris Fashion Week.
Models stormed the runway in the French design house’s daring autumn/winter collection, including spot print- littered split skirts, bold berets and tailored two-piece short suits, left,
Leopard print has been on the prowl in Hollywood since the 1930s when hunky actor Johnny Weissmuller pulled on some furry pants for Tarzan The Ape Man.
It was wild, it was racy, and women wanted to make it their own.
Oozed sophistication
Everyone wanted a piece of the pattern.
Actresses like Bette Davis added the punchy print to their wardrobes.
In the ’40s Elizabeth Taylor took the look further, wearing a spotted swimsuit for a photoshoot.
The hype has never really stopped since.
Flash forward to the swinging Sixties, when Dior scored rich and famous fans Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, who stepped out in its glam spotty faux furs and gave ladies the power to make an exotic and sexy statement.
Alas, blockbuster The Graduate added a trashy edge to the talked-about trend.
No one fancied looking like a trophy wife — and yet, the style endured.
But there’s a fine line between chic and shabby.
No one dared say That Don’t Impress Me Much to Shania Twain’s bewitching hooded number in the Nineties.
And while Mel B could get away with raucous spotty knee-high boots, we are not so sure about the Spice Girls’ army of fans who wore them to their local.
TV soaps lowered the appeal further, with EastEnders’ Pat Butcher in loud shirts and Bet Lynch chain smoking in her leopard faux fur coat on Corrie.
The big debate continues over whether the trend is trashy or tasteful — but you’ve got to admit, there’s a bit of zig-a-zig-ah about it.
And done right, you can look incredible — as model Kate Moss has proved time after time.
The supermodel’s take on the style has oozed sophistication for four decades.
In 2019, she made heads turn in a metallic spotty shift dress at Paris Fashion Week.
Clearly, designers took note as animal print has become more and more prolific on catwalks over the last couple of seasons, with subtle, demure looks inspired by Hollywood’s golden age.
And celebrities are following suit. In the past year we’ve seen superstar Jennifer Lopez, 54, rock a bedazzled spotty skin-tight number by Valentino, while Kim Kardashian got her claws in with head-to-toe couture by Alaia.
Rosamund Pike, Halle Berry, Selma Blair, Winnie Harlow, Daisy Lowe, Irina Shayk and Myleene Klass have all given safari spots their seal of approval, too.
Meanwhile, Sofia Vergara has kept her spot game strong since her jaw-dropping portrayal of a real-life Colombian cartel boss in Netflix series Griselda.
But as jungle prints trickle down to the high street — with leopard-themed Adidas x Wales Bonner samba trainers flying off the shelves and high street stores serving up the dotty patterns — it’s a tightrope between looking stylishly spotty or a little bit potty.
No one can doubt, though, that spots are back . . . fur real.
By Tracey Lea Sayer, Fashion Director
HEN a trend has been around for as long as leopard print – think Jackie Kennedy in the Sixties, Debbie Harry in the Seventies and Kate Moss in the Nineties – you know it will never really go out of fashion.
It just lies dormant for a few seasons before designers dust it off and bring it back.
Given my 30 years working in fashion, you would think I have a wardrobe bursting to the seams with leopard print, but no.
I have only ever owned a leopard-print bikini, a vintage ’60s coat and a Vivienne Westwood miniskirt, so I can understand if you are panicking that leopard print is back and tricky to wear – because so am I.
So let’s make this simple. There are two main ways to wear the trend this season.
You either go Mob wife aesthetic – big bold leopard in a sexy, slinky dress teamed with big earrings and even bigger hair.
Or if you just want to hop on the bus and go to work, you can be a much more minimal 2024 big cat.
If you are a novice with leopard print, maybe start small.
Leopard print is a real statement, so a good tip is to wear it on the part of your body you want to draw the most attention to
Tracey Lea Sayer
Try a pair of leopard-print ballet pumps worn with wide cropped jeans and a cute cardi.
Or add in a leopard-print cross-body camera bag, perhaps over a cropped trench.
If you are feeling braver, try going half and half. Half print, half plain.
A leopard-print blouse will look great with some neutral, black, beige or white wide-leg trousers.
Alternatively, try an edgy pair of leopard-print jeans, which will give your outfit a Scandi spin.
And remember, anyone can wear this trend, no matter what size or age.
Leopard print is a real statement, so a good tip is to wear it on the part of your body you want to draw the most attention to.
If you love your bust, a leopard-print blouse would look great.
There is also a clever trick with the size of the print.
If you are petite, larger prints might drown your frame, so go smaller, while if you have a fuller figure, bigger prints will enhance your glorious curves.
If you are really brave, you can go for head-to-toe.
I love the idea of this luxe print in excess for a special occasion, like a birthday. Leopard on leopard will definitely get you noticed.
And forget anyone saying you are too old.
Leopard is a forever print and age is just a number.
