The mere mention of leopard might make you yawn. We’ve been down the leopard road many times and who can blame you if you’re tired of hearing that this is “the new neutral.”
So let’s take a different approach: leopard print is the new smart guy. The easiest smartener of the season, in fact. Add a strong 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, puffa jackets – but I wouldn’t go near it because it doesn’t pass the Smart test. It’s only been a minute since Marks & Spencer’s flowy, bias-cut leopard print summer dress flew off the rails, but we’ve moved on – autumn is a very different proposition – and now the only leopard you’ll see is ladylike and polished .
Leopard print has been ubiquitous lately, seen on celebrities from Salma Hayek (left) to Winnie Harlow (right)
Think of Catherine Deneuve and Jackie Onassis, old school chic with updoed hair, sunglasses, a heel and a neat handbag. This leopard moment is all about classic pieces that you can wear with the clothes you already own. These are the do’s and don’ts of wearing leopard in fall 2024…
Way to wear leopard
Hands down the best way to wear leopard – great over beige and black and cream and denim, all block colours, all neutral geometric prints (florals can be too busy). The leopard coat that will serve you best is a simple Crombie style like that from Massimo Dutti (£369 massimodutti.com); It’s not cheap, but you have it forever.
Black near your face becomes black as time goes by, but black lifted by the collar of a leopard coat is something else entirely. Otherwise, there will always be fake fur left, as long as it looks smooth. Try Zara’s (£79.99 Zara.com)
Leopard print can break up the harshness of black near your face, especially as you get older. This faux fur coat from Zara is a good example of this
The halving rule
M&S says there’s a lot of interest in its new leopard pattern wide leg jeans (£45), and the leopard trousers are certainly having a moment. Still, for many of us it feels safer to miss this one and focus above the waist.
Try a lightly padded crew neck jacket from Zara (£49.99) over a dark turtleneck and pants. Or a sweater: Zara makes a great short-sleeved jacquard-knit top with a jeweled neckline (£35.99) and a matching cardigan (€45.99) that you can wear separately or together with a midi skirt and boots or black trousers.
If you happen to have leopard print trousers, great, just keep in mind that the rest of your outfit should ideally be black and definitely solid – and skip the jacket.
An important item in leopard is a good rule of thumb.
Mango’s pencil skirt below the knee
Skirts beat dresses
See the halfway line. This way you can add a black or beige or cream top and the effect will be less overwhelming. The leopard print midi slip skirt is still a good choice if you are slim and tall (€35). marksandspencer.com) or Mango’s plain pencil skirt below the knee (€ 35.99 shop.mango.com) looks good with a plain gray sweater and a small heel.
Shade is important
Zara’s bucket bag with leopard print
This season’s print is darker and richer for a more vintage feel, or there’s more black in the mix. Stay away from the yellowish leopard tones and anything cartoonish or abstract: the more authentic and glossy, the better.
Mix two leopards
Double in two slightly different notes. Hailey Bieber, Mrs. Justin Bieber, was recently spotted in a leopard print coat (probably Toteme) and a mismatched leopard print tote bag, showing off how to wear the Fall 2024 leopard style.
Zara makes a leopard print leather shopper (£189). zara.com) or a great bucket bag (€89.99 zara.com). Choose larger, statement styles with leopard, nothing cute and dinky.
Accessories for life
Leopard print slingbacks can be worn with pants or a midi skirt. Left: Sam Edelman shoes available from John Lewis and right similar shoes from H&M
A high stiletto with leopard print and pony skin is still quite a statement, but a lower leopard kitten heel is something you can wear with pants or a midi skirt and a sweater.
Mango’s leopard print slim belt
If you want to pair jeans for a night out, opt for a pair of mid-heel slingbacks like those from Sam Edelman at John Lewis (£175 johnlewis.com) or the slightly higher model from H&M (£27.99 hm.com) do the work. Leopard print tights, especially pony skin, are a great black pant smartener for the office – Zara’s pony skin style (£55.99).
Wear a narrow leopard print belt with something plain (€25.99). shop.mango.com) and double it up with a leopard bag.