I’ve got to admit, I never thought I’d be a leopard-print kinda girl. Solids, stripes and the occasional floral are my usual MO, and you really can’t blame me – animal prints haven’t always had the best rep and have been done so wrong so many times. (Have you searched “leopard” on Pinterest lately? I rest my case.) Anyway, something must be in the air this fall, because I’ve been craving a bit more fun with fashion and embracing bolder trends with abandon. These calf hair d’orsay pumps shot to the top of my shopping list the minute I spotted them, and they must have been a sort of gateway drug because I found myself clicking “buy” on this beauty over the weekend, too. So what are my unofficial rules to pulling off leopard in a way that screams “chic” not “cheap?” First, pair with solids. Though I’ve definitely seen leopard matched up with brights to great success, I’ll mainly be wearing mine with black for a super sophisticated look. Second, I’ll be wearing no more than one (yes, one!) leopard piece at a time. No matching leopard shoes and bag for this girl! And that’s it! Now time for this neutral-loving girl to take a little walk on the wild side…
*images: {row 1} alexa chung by david vasiljevic for elle uk november 2010, j.crew, emerson fry {row 2} clare vivier {row 3} emerson fry, jackie o, kate moss, j.crew skinny printed calf hair belt {row 4} kate moss by inez & vinoodh for vogue paris, leopard source unknown, j.crew, emerson fry.
