Or so they say. I’m calling bullshit on that saying. I’m already prepared to get some riled up feedback on this one, but I have to be honest: leopard/animal print isn’t for everyone. No matter how many times it is said, people will look at those leopard pants on some Forever 21 mannequin and scurry away to the dressing room with high hopes. Two things will happen:
1. She will try on those pants and be sorely disappointed or
2. She will be in complete denial and buy them anyway, only to be mocked later.
Of course there is always the rare, perfect leopard find that will look amazing, but again that is RARE.
I was shopping with a friend of mine a while ago and she wanted something in leopard print really badly. It was her goal when we went out shopping to find a leopard dress or skirt of some sort to wear to a party that night. We reached Forever 21 (of course) and she saw this metallic looking, skin tight leopard jersey dress on a mannequin and knew she had to have it. We got to the dressing room, she tried it on and it was a fail. She knew before even coming out of the room that it was a miss. Don’t get me wrong, she is gorgeous, but leopard print has that clever way of making most people look terrible in it. So here are a few tips:
1. Go for an A-Line or flirty bottom. A skirt or dress that flares out will look more flattering than
something skin tight that hides nothing.
2. Tight top- loose bottom combination. Or vise versa. This goes beyond wearing leopard, I like to apply to nearly everything I wear. If you’re wearing a tight top, go for a looser bottom, if you’re wearing a looser top, go for a tighter bottom. That way you still look fun, sexy and presentable. Keyword: PRESENTABLE.
3. Use leopard print as an accent. Do not go for the leopard bodysuit. Instead, do something like my friend did. We found a pair of leopard flats for her to wear. I paired it with a baby pink loose top and a dark wash jean. She looked amazing. It was simple and she felt comfortable. Perhaps find a leopard clutch, or even a top that has muted leopard. For example, a blouse that has a leopard collar, or the leopard print is in black so that the print does not come off as loud.
Hope these tips helped! Happy Leopard Hunting!
[The picture above shows the metallic dress my friend wanted to buy, she ended up convincing me to get it. It was the first (and last) time that I wore it. Even still, I paired it with a black jacket because the material fit too closely.]
UrbanChiX 