Wear This: Leopard and Cream

Leopard print, oh leopard print. You are sometimes so tricky to wear, aren't you? I have some leopard print heels that I wear every now and then and a fabulous leopard print dress that will be great for a date night one of these days. But aside from that, I don't often head in the leopard print direction when I'm out shopping. Here's why: it's a tricky print to wear. Seriously tricky. Why so tricky? Because if the garment is just a smidge too tight, or the top is on the borderline of being too low-cut, or the hemline on the dress is just a half inch too short, then your leopard print look is suddenly SLUTTY. We try not to do slutty here on S...tNB, so I'm going to tell you how to wear leopard so that you ALWAYS look classy. We're classy here on S...tNB, okay?

For starters, all of those things I just mentioned- low cut top, too tight anything, too short skirt or dress- avoid them all when wearing leopard print. And that goes for anything you pair WITH something leopard print. (By the way, this goes for cheetah and zebra and basically any animal print, but since leopard is far and away the most popular, I'll be using it in this post.) By this I mean that if you are wearing a leopard-print skirt that is an appropriate fit and length, you should still be careful not to wear a top with it that is too low cut, etc.

Second, try to pair leopard with something other than black. Black is so harsh and also such an obvious choice for a neutral. Think outside the box and wear something else- camel, chocolate brown, or my personal favorite neutral for leopard: CREAM. It's the perfect combination of soft and edgy.

Leopard and Cream by rtboo featuring a black pencil skirt

As you can see from the polyvore set above, it works for casual outfits as well as dressy looks. You can wear this to the office or out on a date. It's just as good a look for lunch with your girlfriends as it is for parent/teacher night.

A final tip when wearing leopard print is to keep your accessories minimal. It's fine to add a pop of color with your shoes, a bag or even a statement necklace, but if you do so, stop there. Don't over-accessorize and definitely don't wear multiple bold pieces. After all, the leopard print is pretty bold on its own, so too many other bold, eye-catching pieces along with it and you'll just end up looking like a mess. Trust me on this.

I think I may have just inspired myself to go shopping for more leopard print pieces for my wardrobe. Having a style blog is really not good for my checking account.

Anyway, enjoy your day, everyone and as always- thank you for stopping by and reading!