Leopard print has had somewhat of a renaissance this summer and by renaissance, I mean it’s everywhere. It’s especially rife on Instagram. Scrolling through my timeline and stories, women have been falling over themselves to show off the newest (and please forgive me for using this term) “Instafamous” leopard print skirt, shirt, dress or boot.

It’s like Bet Lynch, Mel B and the ghost of Eartha Kitt have come together and formed the New World Style Order of Instagram. We haven’t been this heavily influenced by a print since the Burberry check went nuclear 18 odd years ago.

Danniella Westbrook - Burberry - No Leopard Print

We’ve had that Marks and Spencer dress with the orange stripe down the sides which sold out instantly and no-one but the influencers and the most determined of keyboard shopaholics were able to get their hands on it…

Leopard Print M&S Jumpsuit - Bloggers loved it!

Then there were the two skirts, one from & Other Stories and the other from Realisation Par that were unobtainable and were being sold for fortunes on eBay…

Erica Davies Instagram Story @erica_davies Leopard Print

There were also the boots from Zara, that other dress from M&S, the popular one from River Island… and so on, and so on.

Zara

M&S

River Island

Is it because I follow too many influencers on Instagram? Have I entered some sort of leopard print wallpapered echo chamber of my own making? Probably. But it really is everywhere. It was scattered through Tom Ford’s Spring 2019 Ready to Wear collection at NY Fashion week and more recently at Burberry during London Fashion Week.

Tom Ford Spring 2019 RTW

Burberry 2019 RTW

Now, I’m someone who will grab a trend by the horns and ride the hell out of it if I can pull it off, I’ve bought a few pieces over the years but they end up in my wardrobe gathering dust and resentment. Now, I’m not saying that the ladies out there aren’t totally rocking this look, however, I would argue that leopard print has reached full saturation and that it might be time to take a peek at what’s coming up next season, so as Kiki Blah Blah’s self-appointed fashion tsar, I present you with my trend picks from the recent New York and London Fashion weeks…

Fringes & Ruffles

My favourite show from NYFW by a country mile was Coach 1941 and the two stand out trends to take away from it were ruffles and fringes giving us a cool, Boho cowboy, burning man kind of vibe. Another favourite of mine was Rodarte who went full Helena Bonham Carter on us and took us to ruffle heaven. And this week’s Erdem show at London Fashion week continued where Rodarte left off albeit in a more gothic mode…

Coach 1941 Spring 2019 Ready to Wear

Rodarte Spring 2019 Ready to Wear

No Leopard Print - Spring 2019 Ready to Wear Leopard Print - Spring 2019 Ready to Wear

Erdem Spring 2019 Ready to Wear

Mixed Prints

One of my favourite trends which have been bubbling under with the likes of Rixo for the past year is mixed prints, until now, it’s been quite subtle but I think now is the time to crank it up a notch. Self Portrait’s show was full of mixed print wonders and it’s really inspired me to go all out on the mixing and matching.

Self Portrait Spring 2019 Ready to Wear

Graphic Stripes

Stripes are always in fashion but they can get boring. Designer of the moment Tory Burch has found a way to make big bold graphic stripes look amazing and Burberry has morphed their famous check into stripes which are sure to be a strong look, especially this winter.

Tory Burch Spring 2019 Ready to Wear

Burberry Spring 2019 Ready to Wear

So, there you go, for those of you who don’t like/are sick of leopard print and those who like me, just can’t pull it off, this one’s for you. To the eternal leopard print lovers, kudos queens, as you were.

Author Bio

Ósk is a TV Producer who cut her teeth on shows such as Popworld and The Kate Moss Years back when tv channels still made fun pop culture shows. She’s a director’s wife, a mother of 3 and a London College of Fashion alumni. She is also originally from Iceland which means she is related to Björk and has Smoked Puffin for breakfast every single morning. Take a look at Ósk’s swanky blog oskito.town and fashionable life in squares @osk_is_my_name

*All thoughts and opinions remain the authors own and do not necessarily reflect the sentiments of Sareta Fontaine.

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Eartha Kitt - Leopard Print - Vintage Fashion - Leopard

1 Comment

Sareta on September 20, 2018 at 7:23 pm

Bet Lynch, Mel B and Eartha Kitt sound like my kind of fashionistas! Add a fur coat, Pat Butcher and you’ve got yourself a party! HAHA! I’m not going to lie, I do love a bit of leopard print. Great Post, I’m totally inspired – those Spring/Summer looks are gorgeous. And BURBERRY! – I’m in love. I need to start saving those pennies now ?