With all of the in-and-out lists making their return and circulating on social media in the form of cheeky New Year resolutions, there has been one glaringly obvious fashion entry quickly making the switch from out to in: the perennial leopard print.
While the classic pattern never quite disappeared — and probably never will — things stayed pretty quiet on the feline fashion front during the pandemic. Even during the “revenge fashion” trend moment of 2021 and 2022, leopard and animal prints were overshadowed by cutouts, lace and just plain nakedness.
Now that the fashion cycle has somewhat settled back into its routine (for better or for worse), leopard print has arrived for 2024 as a dependable statement making classic. And since designers and consumers alike are still taking creative inspiration from the aughts decade, inching forwards from the Y2K era, the latest leopard print revival also happens to land squarely in the Indie Sleaze moment. It’s an aesthetic that has been percolating for a few years now but is set to hit a more critical mass this year, with the leopard print trend playing a star role along with ballet flats, skinny jeans, black tights, headbands and smudgy makeup.
Which brings us to an important question that’s circulating amongst those trying to wrap their heads around the new leopard print trend: How can it be worn appropriately? And is it possible for leopard print to avoid the sleazy part of Indie Sleaze this time around?
As with any fashion classic, there are a few tenets to leopard print when it comes to styling it. During her tenure at J.Crew, Jenna Lyons famously reiterated the fashion maxim that leopard print is a neutral. This still holds in 2024, but it also doesn’t mean the pattern can or should replace black or beige pieces.
The golden rule of animal prints is to limit your look to one piece and keep everything else neutral. While that isn’t a hardened decree (fashion always makes exceptions!), it’s a great one to stick to when looking to dip a toe into the world of leopard print. The last time that leopard print coursed through pop fashion was in 2019, when the leopard midi skirt took over office wear and celebrity fashion alike to become one of the year’s biggest trends.
One of the best — and most elegant — examples of leopard print’s current revival in the Indie Sleaze era comes from Nicky Hilton. The designer and multi-hyphenate stepped out in New York in November wearing a faux-fur leopard print coat, a piece that was de rigueur during the late 2000s and into the early 2010s. Hilton paired the coat with a pair of skinny jeans (gasp!), black ballet flats from her line with French Sole, oversized black sunglasses and a re-edition Marc Jacobs quilted leather Stam bag.
Hilton’s look hit all of the most pleasurable pieces of the early 2010s era, providing a dependable framework for wearing it today. The look is equal parts “Gossip Girl” and Hilton herself from that era — a fitting tribute to her younger street style image.
Hilton isn’t the only one who’s been trying the trend. During Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks, plenty of show attendees gave leopard print another go. Most went with a leopard print faux fur coat, signaling that the garment could become this year’s leopard midi skirt.
To a lesser degree, there were pants, bags and also footwear. To update the leopard print shoe, Yoyo Cao paired Miu Miu’s animal print derby shoes with a pair of white tube socks for a look that feels more 2023-2024 than 2010 — but still also somehow in the Indie Sleaze world. We might see more of this as fashion month ramps up: a loafer, derby, comfort sandal or Cuban heel in place of a 2010s leopard print Chelsea boot.
There is also no shortage of celebrities showing up at red carpets and appearances in leopard. At a Today show appearance in October, actress Selma Blair, leopard print blazer, black satin shirt, trousers, patent pumps and platinum bob provided a great contrast. The look also felt complementary to her service dog.
The leopard print look is also going strong in celebrity menswear, and we can expect even more of it to pop up during awards season. At the Academy Gala in December, LaKeith Stanfield wore a Saint Laurent look that paired a skinny black trouser and beret with a very leopard print shirt. And at the Christmas at Graceland performance the very same night, Post Malone wore a full-look Dolce & Gabbana suit.
