Addressed: Actually, Animal Print Is a Neutral
All summer long I've been feeling an inexplicable urge to wear animal print. Inexplicable because in my 41 years of life I can remember precisely one time that I've worn it (when I was about 11 I had a little suit with a short a-line cow print skirt and a black jacket with a cow print collar and buttons), but these days I can't see a leopard spot or a zebra stripe without it activating a kind of sartorial longing. A few weeks ago I interviewed Roberto Cavalli's Fausto Puglisi, and we talked about how animal prints are actually neutrals; it was kind of a tongue-in-cheek thing to say, but it also happens to be the truth. And now that it's Leo season (yes, I'm a Leo), it's the perfect time to dig deeper into the subject.
Proof that animal print is indeed a neutral is the fact that it can almost always be found on the runway and in stores, a staple of both summer dressing (tiger print swimsuits!) and winter layering (the classic faux leopard coat). This means that no matter how you define your style—be it minimalist, retro, opulent, avant-garde, or anything in between, there's an animal print piece out there just for you. Here's a simple formula for making it work: If it's a zebra or cow print, pretend the item in question is black; if it's snakeprint, think of it as gray or beige, and if you're dealing with a leopard, cheetah, or tiger print, treat the item in question as if it were brown (aka a true neutral!).
Snakeprint boots go with everything. Khaite, fall 2025 ready-to-wear
Courtesy of Khaite
Cheetah print pumps are an unexpected punctuation mark on a lady-like look. Bottega Veneta, resort 2025
Photo: Courtesy of Bottega Veneta
Having established that, the easiest way to incorporate some animal print into your wardrobe is with footwear; a pair of classic pumps or more dramatic knee-high boots can instantly liven up a basic look or take something extravagant to the next level. A few years ago I impulse-bought a pair of Khaite pointy-toed zebra print boots and they've turned out to be a most important player in my wardrobe, especially in the dregs of winter when I begin hating sweaters and layering and just want to have some fun.
As Kate Moss has proven time and time again, a faux leopard coat is basically a fail-proof style injection. It doesn't matter whether you're layering it over jeans or over tailoring, it will always look good. The same naturally goes for a leopard jacket (cropped or not, in a jacquard or denim), or even a blouse or button-down shirt.
If a a leopard print jacket is a sure-bet, so is a leopard print blouse… Saint Laurent, fall 2025 ready-to-wear
Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
…or a leopard print button-down shirt. No. 21, pre-fall 2025
Courtesy of No. 21
Or switch the whole thing and go for a pair of pants—the key is to wear them in a slim silhouette. Jacques Wei, fall 2025 Shanghai
Snakesprint and plaid? Yes, please! Duran Lantink, fall 2025 ready-to-wear
Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com
But the real fun—and this is the thing that I would like to experiment with this year—is a head-to-toe look. I'm talking about pairing tiger print separates like Martine Rose's jacket-and-jeans combo, wearing Phoebe Philo's absolutely insane fuzzy onesie and the matching cat hat, or an OTT shirt-and-jacket situation like the one Puglisi showed for his fall Roberto Cavalli collection. In the end it's no different than wearing a Canadian tuxedo or any other matching separates—you just have to commit to the bit, and walk with total confidence. Who's afraid of a little cheetah print? Not me!
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