Post by TM

Once upon a time I thought that leopard print was the tackiest of all the prints. So did a lot of people. Leopard print anything was in the same league as white stilettos (which, as it happens aren’t so bad anymore).

And then, leopard print became a neutral.

Alexa Chung said so, so obviously it’s true. So did Jess Cartner-Morley and she’s fashion ed for The Guardian and that obviously means it’s definitely true. And I’m saying it now so you may as well take it as gospel.

For the record, the pic above was taken in 2012 and I would totally wear it right now.

Back to that once upon a time, when leopard was tacky. It was a Bet Lynch in Coronation Street print well before it was a Samantha in Sex and the City print (and even then it wasn’t particularly chic) but yeah, now, it’s a neutral.

It can, however, still look tacky. I would never wear leopard print trousers. I would never wear two items of clothing in the same outfit in the same print. I would also never wear leopard with anything other than a black base but look at Olivia Palermo in her leopard print shirt and tan skirt. Perfecto.

The two leopard print pieces I own are pumps from Penneys, like the pair above, and a scarf that I got during the week at the Oasis A/W15 press day and used as a blanket when my friend and I sat outside The Barge last sunny Saturday. I’m not quite sure about it. No wait, I like it. It’s going to get some wear against an all black outfit and my camel coat.

If you’re unsure of leopard print, it’s best to wear it casually. Keep everything else plain. Don’t put your hair in a beehive style.

Dakota Johnson nails it

Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton all sent handbags with leopard accents down the runway for their A/W15 shows, so this neutral is going nowhere.