I fully accept that I may be in the minority that get that
reference. For those that don’t understand, Pat Butcher was a character on the
TV soap, EastEnders who was popular for wearing about 7 types of leopard print
in one outfit, gold hoops and being incredibly sassy (hashtag goals right
there).
Because of Pat, and a host of other people making bad
fashion choices, leopard print gets a bad rep.
But this summer I’m seeing a lot
of leopard print. However, this time it’s less EastEnders cast of 2000 – more
Christian Dior fresh off the runway.
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Pat in her finest |
So, leopard print – the must-have summer print. But how on
earth do you get the right balance…
Wear leopard as if it were black or blue or any other
neutral.
Every variant of Leopard print looks good when you treat it as
if it were another neutral colour in your wardrobe. This gives you full
permission to clash leopard print with other prints such as stripes or spots, instead
of feeling forced to pair it with all black.
Moving away from the traditional shade of leopard is also an
option.
Why has a leopard got be yellow? The muted brown
shade complements denim and darker shades like burgundy and navy really well. A
darker leopard print is such a great addition for the summer to autumn
transition wardrobe (can’t believe I’m thinking this far ahead) For something a
little bolder, pink leopard print is an alternative.
If you don’t want to wear a full outfit head to toe of
leopard, print accessories are the way forward.
A leopard print scarf knotted
at the neck screams modern with a twist of French chic. If you want to add a
splash of leopard print, a bold shoe choice also works. I’m fairly conservative
with my shoe choice – a simple black or maybe white (if I’m feeling brave
enough that I won’t drop my coffee down myself), HOWEVER I did see the most perfect
summer and on trend Toms shoe when I was scrolling through the gram earlier this
week. If a leopard print scarf or pair of shoes don’t float
your boat. There is always a bag or coat to consider as an option, which brings
me on to…
The leopard print coat
Adding a leopard coat to an all-black outfit makes an outfit
stand out. Of course, a leopard print coat doesn’t have to be worn with a
solely black outfit. A perfect summer twist is taking a leopard print kimono
for some beach/pool time over a black or white bikini
Tailoring is key
Like most items of clothing there is the tailoring to
consider. Avoid tight, ill fitted pieces and lean towards the stick to
loose-fitting pieces with feminine details. it's a good idea to steer
clear of skin-tight numbers, as anything too
short (or tight) is dodgy territory.
A ruffle or pussy-bow blouse (exhibit A) is such a pretty
way to do the leopard-print trend. And then to get us ready for autumn (because
all good things come to an end), pairing a leopard print shirt with jeans and a
trench is a lewk!!!!
Let’s not be scared of wearing leopard print and make Pat
Butcher proud of us all!
Outfit details
Blouse - ASOS
Shorts - ASOS Design
Shoes - RAID Via ASOS
Sunglasses - Weekday
Mx
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