Sunday 14 September 2014

Leopard is the new black


My love of leopard print stretches back for as long as I can remember, and certainly, at least, to 1997, when the seminal classic that is Spiceworld was gracing British cinema screens. I distinctly recall feeling a flush of pride/Girl Power as Scary Spice yelled out at the audience 'OI! You in the leopard print', and could, in that moment, have been referring to five year old me, sitting there resplendent in my favourite leopard print top. 

Unfortunately though, leopard print has been blighted over the years by Bet Lynch turned Kat Slater-type connotations, and I'm sure there are still some people who steer well clear of it for fear of coming across more Cruella de Vil than Cara Delevingne. 

And yet, as the Guardian's Fashion editor Jess Cartner-Morley has pointed out, these days, leopard print has earned fail-safe fashion status as "a neutral" - and isn't to be feared. In fact, this Autumn, if you're looking to break away from the monochrome (which, though always a safe style bet, we should definitely try to do on occasion), then look to leopard. Not head to toe, perhaps, but even a pop of leopard on a collar is an instant winner in my book. 

Here are a few of my leopard print favourites, available on the high street at the moment. Go get 'em tiger. 

Faux fur coat, Topshop, £89.99


 Draycott Bag, £169, Boden 


Speed Date boots, £55, Schuh 


Leopard Jacquard Sweater, £65, & Other Stories