Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! When I was a little girl, I began to fall in love with animal prints. My love affair with animal prints grew over the years and over again. When I was 12, my Grandma bought me a faux fur leopard coat from none other than the fabulous Justice – a coat that I still own and wear to this day – and it became one of my most prized possessions. Flash forward to 2021 and leopard print is the biggest print of the year and everyone seems to be sporting something in this well-known print. Though leopard print is such a lovable print especially now, so many wonder: is leopard print trendy or classy?
Upon a basic Google search to answer whether or not leopard print is a trend or a staple, fashion magazines like Glamour, Elle, and Vogue amongst the likes are reporting headlines such as: “Animal Print Is Spring’s Biggest Trend”, “Why The Trend Will Be Forever Chic”, and “Magical Leopard Print is the Look for Spring Summer 2020”. The list then goes on and on and on. In 2019-2020, my favorite shoe designer Jack Rogers released a leopard printed sandal in its well-known Jacks sandal. Other fashion brands did the same in products of all kinds. Printify.com describes leopard print as “timeless and most definitely back in vogue, often walking the line between classy and flashy.” Although leopard print can be a bit out of the box at times, who truly needs a box nowadays?
When it comes to fashion, I see a world full of self expression and making good impressions via the way that we choose to dress. In today’s day and age, I witness a coming together of all and every decades’ styles come into one. 2021 is the year of 21+ decades’ styles coming into the forefront, which will continue beyond the roaring 2020’s. Personally, I see that everything goes and especially in today’s day and age with people shopping at thrift stores and shopping secondhand becoming cooler and more mainstream now more than ever before, bringing back staples from decades past and remaking them into their own closets and personal wardrobes. I have seen clothing items from all decades worn by others on the streets and into the wardrobes of ordinary people. It is truly a beautiful thing. Similarly speaking, leopard print has flown in and out of the wardrobes of people’s lives throughout the decades in many different ways. But, in whatever capacity that this print may be presented to us fashion-wise, leopard print remains a timeless print – timeless in that it has flown through the decades of our fashion history and into 2021 and beyond. Thus, making leopard print nothing short of being known as classy.
Leopard print is most definitely having a moment right now, but it will remain a forever classic staple beyond its moment in the year 2021. Beyond my leopard print-obsessed years in the early 2000’s, I always loved the sheer elegance of a leopard printed petticoat, pencil skirt, dress, or even a pair of shoes. Hence, my obsession for my leopard print faux fur Justice coat that I have now owned for over 10 years and do not plan to let go of any time soon. Like myself, others have admired leopard print and garments within this print, too. Even though, leopard print may not be as mainstream as it is now within a few years, it will never fade away.
Through it all, remember that anything goes on any day. Leopard print may be one of the most well-liked prints of the year, but it will never disappear. It is a timeless and forever chic print that won’t ever fade away.
XOXO – Katie <3