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As I mentioned last week, Valentine’s Day is coming up and my birthday is the day after, so I’ve had celebratory outfits on my mind lately. (I know, really earth shattering stuff, haha.) I got out of my comfort zone with the last outfit post and decided to do it again with this one as well.
I’ve avoided leopard print like the plague because no matter how big or small the print, no matter whether it’s a stripe on a sneaker or a full on jacket, I’ve just always felt supremely insecure in it. It’s always felt very loud and in your face when I’d prefer to be more subtle. But leopard print is huge right now, and I spotted this dress (see what I did there?! Ba-dum-ch!) and thought, “Well, maybe.”
I can’t even explain it because I have literally avoided leopard print for years, but there was something about this dress that was calling me. The hue of the print felt warm and like it might bring out my slightly olive skin tone. The cut of the dress felt sexy but not overtly sexy. I loved the cowl neck drape cut, which will give a lot of people the luxury of not having to wear a bra (hallelujah!), but if you’re larger chested, you could do one of these.
Leopard print slip dress
I kept the jewelry simple and just stuck with my watch and bracelets which I never really take off, and I paired the dress with some nude sandals which are surprisingly comfortable. You could just as easily do over the knee boots though, and add a cropped jacket if you live somewhere cold.
Leopard slip dress
I kept the make up really neutral because I felt like the dress was already pretty loud. A little foundation, a little bronzer, a nude lip, and I was good to go. You could also do a smokey eye with this, though, or a simple eye and bold red lip - the options are endless, so long as you feel confident. I’m a big believer that anyone can wear anything, so long as they feel good in it, because when you feel good, you exude confidence, and that, in my opinion, is the most attractive thing you can wear.
Slip dress
Normally I’m not a huge fan of strappy open backs like this because then I don’t know what to do for a bra, but with the cowl neck construction, it didn’t matter because it offered enough coverage that I could go without a bra. The tighter you tie the bow, the more you can manipulate the drape of the cowl neck, depending on the coverage and look you want. The material of the dress was so flowy and moved so well on the body - I am so psyched I wound up getting out of my style comfort zone, away from the little black dress, and trying out the little leopard print dress instead.