The taming of leopard print has left a gap in our wardrobe for a look that is deliberately attention-seeking
Leopard print has crossed the floor. What was once the party frock of the rebel is now the kitten heel of the establishment. Naming no names. This is largely a good thing, because leopard being essentially a neutral means we can wear it every day, if we want to. And I do. But the taming of leopard has left a gap in our wardrobe for a look that is deliberately attention-seeking. A look you wear to signify that this particular evening you are going not just out for dinner but out-out. Or that you really love your friend and are really excited it’s her birthday. Or whatever. Leopard print doesn’t do that any more. It’s a bit like that phrase, deeply silly but somehow appropriate in its throwback corniness: when you marry your mistress, you create a vacancy. The leopard has been domesticated, so what’s still wild?
Zebra is the animal print leading the pack, as it were, but it is by no means a direct swap. Zebra means something different from leopard. I don’t mean it in a weird way when I say this, but the zebra just isn’t a sexy animal. Cats, leopards, panthers: those are your go-to sexy beasts. There is nothing seductive about a stripy horse. Nope.
Related: What I wore this week: the white polo neck | Jess Cartner-Morley
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