Big Cat or Cow?
Don’t let those glorious shards of winter sunlight streaming through the clouds fool you, nor double digit temperatures on the dial, repeat after me “It is still freezing outside” and it will be for a while yet, so no matter how desperate you are to bust out those spring looks I am going to need you to stick with me for another couple of months, or at the very least make some adjustments to prevent blue legs, cold toes and mottled skin, none of which are ever a good look.
We all want to shake off the big winter layers, shedding the chunky quilted coats we are all so reliant on in the thick of winter is symbolic of shaking off the dark mornings, but style wise we have to come out of hibernation mode slowly, make things interesting without making it unseasonable.
It’s no surprise that leopard is a popular choice for adding pizazz to a look, it’s the one print that never really goes away, for some I am aware it is an evergreen item, a neutral rather than a trend. I once said on this very page that the world was split into people who wear leopard print and those who don’t, I was of course being hyperbolic for creative purposes, but it is a divisive print because of its obvious connections to fur and animal pelts, but aside from that it also has a spicy backstory, its the only print that comes with a bit of an attitude.
Much like its feline inspiration Leopard is the print with prowess, especially when seen through the eyes of designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Zimmermann and Givenchy who always ensure its seen as feminine but feisty, where as brands such as Ganni & Damson Madder have softened its edges, making it more of an everyday print, less fierce more fuzzy. If this is your preference for leopard then its worth also checking out Hush, Next, Marks & Spencer and Mint Velvet who all have a “blurred” leopard trouser while Adidas have taken inspiration from their collaboration with Wales Bonner and launched an own brand version of the leopard print Samba.
This season the big cat print has competition, in my mind its not fierce because its name sake doesn’t have the same grace, but it might be worth a mention, Cow-print is apparently having a moment, If I sound unconvinced it's because I am, any trend that speaks too much of fancy dress has land-fill written all over it, I’m also not into anything Western or Country influenced (soz Beyonce) Cow print doesn’t have the staying power that Leopard does, some might say its udderly terrible, but you didn’t hear that from me.
