How Barbara Palvin wears leopard print

I remembered that three months ago I wrote a style guide which I deem one of the most useful articles that I had written about styling. This opinion of mine was confirmed when I discovered that even Manolo the Shoe Blogger found the article amusing and was kind enough to share the link to his readers. "How to wear animal print" is a list of what's Yay! and what's Nay! in wearing leopard, tiger, zebra or any animal print. If you want to get amused too, you better check the guide.

Tonight is one of those nights, when I sit in front of my laptop wanting to write but with nothing to write. So what I do when those nights come? I surf and visit other blogs, read online magazines and surf more hoping that I might stumble upon something that inspires. But when the muse is too stubborn, I end up wasting my entire night procrastinating. That can be a very bad night.

However, I thought that I better scan my old files. And when I did, there yah go, I saw Barbara Palvin lying down the rocks with mesmerizing eyes urging me to write about her.

So this is how Barbara Palvin wears leopard print. Other than the hat and the belt, everything in her outfit is leopard. Now girls, I'm sure that we understand the difference between the editorial outfit and the ones that we can actually wear in the real world. Even if I honestly love everything in this outfit, I still believe that if you don't wish to look like a jungle wild lost in the streets, you better stay away from going animal from head to toe.

How to dress for a stroll in a field

When your city is engulfed with turmoil dividing people and shattering lives, you cannot bear to see. You close your eyes and press your lips ‘cause you know that there is nothing you can do to break free. For days you lock yourself behind curtains, sheltered and unharmed, but bored. Gone are all the alluring signs abound, enticing shopping malls and processions of fashionistas strutting back and forth in the streets when the pavements are no longer baked by the sun’s shimmering spikes. Such is the fate of the City of Angel for months now and it’s sad.

When your dream city turns into nightmare, flee to your field of dreams. Get your suitcase and pack for things just enough for a stroll in the up-country where there are no guards to stop you, no bombs and no maddening fire.

Look for a secluded meadow. Feel the breeze and like a bird spread your wings. Who wouldn’t love the taste a golden day of sunshine? Absorb it. Not everyone is as blessed as you.

But while you do so, enjoying your carefree abandon, make sure that you are dressed for the occasion. Take your best ankle boots or your most comfy casual shoes. You might love to take a pair of black or white sandals? Or even red? Go ahead. You’re out of the city and nobody’s going to notice that you’re in red. Go for an ESTIMATE floral-print blouse. Or if you’re on the mood, wear this very lovely JOURNAL dress. But whatever you'd wear, you're the one who decides for the occasion.

Style Tips: How to wear animal print

Which fashion statement echoes right on you?

♥ Don’t wear animal print if you don’t wanna look like an old mama desperately seeking a papa.

♥ If you are to make a serious fashion statement, wear animal print. Don’t be afraid. Wear it with confidence. It’s all about attitude anyway.

I would not be surprised if this question divides the house of fashion. Many believe that young women should not consider wearing animal print because they are likely to end up as fashion disasters. The other side of the house, however, claims that no matter what print you’d wear, if you’re not confident and skilled enough, you are certainly going to end up a fashion disaster. It's all a matter of how you carry the print.

Animal print in itself is a fashion statement. However, unless you are making an editorial shoot, certain things should be carefully considered in wearing these prints to avoid hitting the front page of "what were they thinking?". Believe me, it's very easy to make mistakes.

♥Don’t match if it’s large

Matching colors and prints is very common in styling. However, not only does going too matchy projects a trying hard obsolete way of styling, it is as well considered a big NAY when it comes to animal prints. Choose only one large part of your outfit as wild. For instance, if your top is a leopard/tiger/zebra print, let the tights/skirt/pants be non-animal. If it's your dress that has the print, then let your shoes be plain black. A touch of the same print on your footwear would only work as long as the black or white? is dominant.

Christian Dior Cruise Сollection 2010

♥Tone it down

If your outfit is too wild, tone it down a bit. If you wear an animal print mini dress, you can tone it down by wearing a single-colored-cardigan over the dress which color blends well with your wild print. If you wear a leopard print tights, for example, you can tone it down by wearing a knee length boots with color that blends but suppresses the strongest shade of your animal print. You can decide too for the color of your boots by taking a non-dominant shade from your other accesories. Take a look at Whitney Port’s outfit. If she just toned it down with this Willow casual leather knee boots, she could have saved her fashionista image and avoided some OMG writers from asking, "Is it just us or is it these skinny leopard-print pants?"

Another way of toning down a large wild is by carrying/wearing accessories that steals attention such as fur purse or fancy scarf. But then, their color should always be complementary.

♥ Go matchy if it's accessory

If you feel the urge to go matchy, you can do so on your accessories provided that they don’t clash. For example, if you wear leopard printed boots, you can take a tiny purse in leopard print. If your tiger bag is with considerable size, you can take a pair of tiger print stilettos. But hopefully, your long scarf is no longer a leopard/tiger and your head gear does not scream jungle. The key here is getting minimal.

Christian Dior Cruise Сollection 2010

♥ Stay single

I don't mean that you girls should stop searching for the man of your life [yes, he is being searched for not unless you already found him] and just stay single. What I do mean is that you would never go wrong if you take only a single item of animal print, either for your top, bag, shoes or scarf, while the rest of your outfit is entirely a shade of black or white. I'm not certain though, if this would also work if everything in your outfit is brown - if that won't make you look like a walking dead trunk? Do advise me.

♥ Try D&G style

If you want to be effectively daring, you can try Dolce and Gabbana style. A fitting sleeveless with low cleavage top paired with black and white polka dots, tucked in with black booties is a fabulous look to steal. A pair of fitting long sleeves top and below the knee pencil cut is otherwise an alternative.

Notice that the top and skirt are matched [bottom photo] but the prints are of big patterns with light brown as the main shade. Complete the look with a pair of plain black stilettos.

What are your style secrets when it comes to animal print, girls? Should a young woman not wear animal prints?

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