Happy Monday friends! Aren’t Monday’s always such a Debbie Downer? The weekend is over, you have to go back to work, it’s another five days until the next weekend… LAME! But today, on this Monday, I wanted to start the week off on a little fun, inspirational note by sharing a blog post that I am calling “The Leopard Edit”. Basically, I gathered up almost everything in my house that is leopard print – clothes, shoes, coffee table books, pillows, rug, etc – to do a fun blog post!
In the words of the great Diana Vreeland, “I’ve never met a leopard print I didn’t like”. And I must either be Diana Vreeland’s reincarnation or her great granddaughter, because leopard has always been my favorite print. Eight years ago when I was a senior in high school, all of the seniors were assigned a parking spot in the front of the school parking lot, and it was a school tradition to paint your parking spot. So I literally had my dad (who is an excellent painter) come out to the school and paint my assigned spot leopard. HE PAINTED IT LEOPARD!! It took him a week to paint it and my spot was definitely the most “extra” out of all the 500+ painted spots, but I loved it and my leopard parking spot was a true representation of myself and my love for leopard.
I think leopard is both a neutral and a statement print. For the neutral argument, all of the colors making up leopard are neutrals: brown, tan, and black. So when you have something leopard it’s not really adding a huge pop of color. And for the statement print argument, when you add something leopard to an otherwise casual look, it really adds a touch of flare and excitement. For instance, when I wear blue jeans and a white button down to work, I’ll pair it with leopard shoes because they are neutral colors so not super overpowering, and also because leopard is a statement print so it adds a little bit of fun to the outfit. It’s like the oxymoron of prints! Neutral colors but still a statement. Or some would call it the trendy mullet of prints, business in the colors, party in the pattern, haha! 😉
So how does one style leopard without going overboard? When we’re considering an outfit, I like to stick to the no-more-than-two-rule. Like in the photo above, if I’m wearing jeans, a cami, a cardigan, a belt, and shoes, only two of those can be leopard. So I would choose the cardigan and the shoes. If I did the cardigan, the belt, and the shoes all leopard, that would be way too much and I would look ridiculous. But I think the cardigan and the shoes are the max amount of leopard for one outfit. In most cases I would only wear one leopard piece for an outfit, but sometimes I just feel a little frisky and want to wear more! You could also do leopard shoes with a leopard hair scarf or scrunchie, or you could do leopard shoes with a leopard belt. But not all leopard prints are the same, so when you start combining more and more leopard, the different sizes and colors can look a little Jersey Shore, if you know what I mean.
When it comes to decor, I think the more hints of leopard the better! I have a leopard rug in my closet (obviously I couldn’t take it out to photograph without tearing my whole house apart), a leopard coffee table book, leopard throw pillows on the couch, leopard throw pillows in the guest bedroom, and a leopard blanket in the living room also. The leopard blanket was dirty during the time of the photoshoot or else I would have been wrapped up in it. But I think adding pops of leopard throughout your home is such a cute, timeless decor look. Since the colors are neutral, it can go with just about any color decor without looking too crazy. And also it doesn’t look too girly if you are living with a man. It’s not like you’re adding pink pillows and throws all over the house, it’s just brown, tan, and black, am I right?!
Of course, I want more leopard print to go in my house… Who doesn’t? (Besides men). These are the leopard items on my list to add to my house in the hopefully near future:
- Leopard Lamps – not lamp shades, but the base of the lamp I want it to be a classy white and black leopard print with a white or black lamp shade. When I make it big someday I’m going to get these Pagoda white leopard lamps, but in the meantime I’m going to try to find dupes or figure out how to DIY that ish!!
- Barefoot Dreams Leopard Throw Blanket – if a blanket could be a celebrity, this one would be the Beyonce. All the “cool girl” bloggers have this blanket and dammit I want one, too! I actually got to feel one once and it is no joke. I once heard someone refer to it as, “if Jesus had a throw blanket, this one would be it”. Not only is it incredibly soft, but it’s also leopard print!!
- Leopard tray – I’m a big fan of decorative trays so a leopard one is definitely high on my wish list. I love using them to hold candles, picture frames, and flowers.
- More leopard throw pillows! – I will never have enough leopard throw pillows in my house. I really want one for our master bedroom in particular.
The Leopard Edit: Clothing
- Leopard mini skirt – I wear this in the winter with my black thigh-high boots and a black sweater.
- Leopard Long Cardigan – I wear this with a cami and shorts, a cami and jeans, or with a form-fitted dress. This is a dupe for the sold-out BP. Long Leopard Jacquard Cardigan from Nordstrom!!
- Leopard Lace Cami – this one is also a dupe for the sold-out BP. Lace Trim Leopard Cami from Nordstrom! I found this dupe from Amazon! I wear this with jeans or shorts under a cardigan.
- Brown & Black Leopard Sweater – I wear this with a flared skirt, black, jeans, or blue jeans.
- Faux Fur Leopard Coat – I wear this in the winter to fancy events like company holiday parties, New Years Eve Parties, or other fancy Christmas parties. Or even non-fancy parties just to feel like Carrie Bradshaw. Similar coat for $42.
- Two-Piece Leopard Pajama Set – obviously I wear this two-piece pajama set to sleep. Especially when I’m traveling with a group of people and want them to think that I always wear cute pajamas to bed!
The Leopard Edit: Shoes
- Louise et Cie Leopard Pointy Toe Booties – I just bought these from the Nordstrom Early Access sale and they sold out super quickly, but I linked similar ones here: similar one, similar two, similar three
- Halogen Leopard Ivie Sneakers – I have not stopped wearing these actually. I’m going on day six now, haha! Here is a similar, more affordable pair!
- Steve Madden Carrson Leopard Strappy Sandals – I wear these to work when I’m feeling extra fancy or out to a birthday dinner!
- Sole Society Audrina Leopard Espadrille Wedges – these are sold out unfortunately but I wear them all the time! Here are some similar pairs that I’ve found: similar one, similar two, similar three.
The Leopard Edit: Accessories
The Leopard Edit: Home Decor
- Leopard: Fashion’s Most Powerful Print by Hilary Alexander Coffee Table Book
- Gray & White Leopard Pillow
- Rectangular Leopard Throw Pillow
- Leopard Blanket
- Gold Leopard Picture Frame
- Gray & White Leopard Rug
The Leopard Edit: Other Items
- Leopard Planner Book
- Leopard Plush Robe
- Leopard Keychain Puff Ball
- Leopard Snuggie – hell yea I have a leopard Snuggie! I keep it at work with me for when I’m cold, haha!
Those are all of the leopard print items that I own, that I can think of, for The Leopard Edit. Leopard is timeless and my favorite print so I am 100% certain that I will keep adding more and more leopard to my collection for the rest of my life. You should definitely check out the Leopard: Fashion’s Most Powerful Print book and give it a read. It gives a lot of information about the history of leopard print in the fashion industry and it’s really interesting! If you’re into that sort of thing.
What’s your favorite print?!
