Leopard Print, Worn Properly

Leopard has a reputation for being loud. Worn properly it is closer to a neutral, and it behaves like one.

Treat it as the anchor

If the print is on your feet, let it be the loudest thing you are wearing. Everything else goes quiet: black, cream, camel, denim. The print does the talking and the rest of the outfit gets out of the way.

One print, one place

A leopard heel and a leopard bag in the same outfit compete with each other and both lose. Pick the piece you want people to notice and keep the rest plain.

Heel height is a scheduling decision

Be honest about the evening ahead. A block heel or a platform carries you through a long dinner in a way a stiletto will not, and a shoe you take off at ten o'clock was the wrong shoe at seven.

Where it works best

Print does its finest work against simple tailoring. A black dress, a linen trouser, a pair of good jeans. The plainer the outfit, the more expensive the print looks.

The one rule worth keeping

Buy the print because you like it, not because it is having a moment. Leopard has been having a moment for about sixty years, which is a fairly strong argument that it is not one.