What is Leopard Print?
Leopards are large jungle cats known for their distinctive spotted coats. Most leopards have warm, golden tan coats with black spots. These spots are actually black rosettes with light brown spots in the middle. This combination of basic neutral colors, black and brown in densely packed rosettes tricks the eye into reading leopard print as a neutral.
My friend and 16 Style Types colleague Jill Chivers is a lover of leopard print (it’s her signature style) and she loves teaming it with her favourite colours. Check out this post for lots of examples of leopard print teamed with different colours.
Fortunately, leopard prints come in a variety of colours, both the traditional warm tans and browns as well as cooler versions of greys and blacks.
Types of Leopard Print
There are many sorts of leopard prints. The one most people are familiar with is warm brown leopard. However, you can find many versions of leopard print from warm browns to muted cool greys of a snow leopard to vibrant deep pink and purple seen in toy leopard plush toys.
When thinking about what colours wear with leopard print, you need to make sure that they share the same colour properties. Colour has three properties – value, undertone and intensity. These three properties can also be used to describe variations of leopard print.
- value – lightness to darkness of the colour
- undertone – how the colour is created – Warmth (yellow base) or coolness (blue base)
- intensity – the saturation and brightness of the colour.
If you’d like to read more about colour properties, check out my post Understanding Colour Properties
What Colours to Wear With Leopard Print
Whether it’s a skirt, top, cardigan or jacket, leopard prints can work well with a myriad of colours.
A warm rich brown leopard print blends well with other warm, saturated colours – yellow, orange, olive and turquoise. Any neutrals like brown, gold, white or beige will also pair well.
Warm brown leopard print works well with warm jewel tones because the bright colours will elevate your outfit. Think warm reds, purples and mid-blue.
A cool pale grey leopard print works well with other cool, muted colours – blush, mauve, teal and powder blue. Green is a cooler hue that contrasts well with cool toned leopard prints.
One of the easiest ways to wear animal print clothing pieces is by teaming them with denim, especially if you want to create a more casual outfit. Denim and chambray are also considered neutrals and they also make good leopard print partners.
Here I’ve teamed my grey denim jeans with grey leopard top and a pale blue blazer.
Anyone can wear a version of leopard print!
All-over leopard print might be a daring fashion statement, but leopard print adds a little something unexpected to an outfit.If you haven’t worn leopard print before, then try using it in a small accessory, like a scarf or shoes. How do you wear your leopard print?
Not sure if warm or cool leopard prints work best for you? A personal colour analysis will give you the tools and knowledge to be able to pick the right leopard print as well as which colours work beautifully with your version and for you.
Further Reading
What to Wear with Leopard Print Shoes
How to Wear Animal Print
11 Genius Ways to Mix Prints and Patterns Like a Pro
How to Choose Prints That Work With Your Colour Contrast
FAQs
Any neutrals like brown, gold, white or beige will also pair well. Warm brown leopard print works well with warm jewel tones because the bright colours will elevate your outfit.
What color looks best with leopard print? ›
Think cream, tan, black and white, as these colours will always complement your print and let it take centre stage. If you have a leopard print midi skirt, try pairing it with a black bodysuit or white tee. For dresses, a cream blazer with matching heels is perfect for a summer wedding.
What color dress can you wear with leopard print shoes? ›
Khaki, olive green, brown and rust shades will calm the bold pattern of your leopard print shoes and complement the natural browns, blacks and beiges. Rich, earthy and autumnal colours like brown, burgundy, gold, navy and plum will also work well with a pair of leopard lace-up boots for women.
Does silver or gold go with leopard print? ›
Pair a flowy leopard print dress with classic accessories for a balanced look. You could go as simple as an elegant pair of strappy heels in nude or metal, or black boots for a more edgy look. Finish the look with some delicate gold or silver jewellery!
How do you look good in leopard print? ›
But the key to styling up your leopard piece to look chic and not so much 'Scary Spice'? Match it with plain and simpler separates in denim, neutral tones or black, rather than anything too busy. However you wear it, I guarantee you will look and feel grrr-eat!
Do leopard print and green go together? ›
Made up of black and brown tones, leopard print works splendidly as a neutral and often looks great against almost any color, but paired with green is one of my all-time favorite combos.
What is the colour for leopard? ›
The Leopard
Background colors vary from shades of creamy yellow, buff grey, orange, tawny-brown and dark rufous-brown. The body is covered with densely packed rosettes, each a cluster of small spots around a normally unspotted centre that is slightly darker than the body colour.
What patterns go well with leopard print? ›
There aren't really any colours that won't go with it, but I like contrasting leopard print with bright, block colour, or other patterns like florals and stripes. ' Natalia adds, 'it's wonderful with almost any colour from neutrals through to richer hues of red, crimson and forest green. '
What goes with a leopard print dress? ›
However leopard prints can be found in bold colour pop palettes (bright pinks, soft pastel purples and deep reds) which pair effortlessly with soft denim blues, ecru tones, cool silvers and of course black.
Can you wear leopard print with black? ›
There are no limits to what color goes with leopard print. Hang up your leopard blazer and pants right beside your blue jeans, little black dresses and eggshell sweaters because leopard print is fashion's fiercest new neutral.
When used in female clothing it can signify independence, confidence, sexuality and nonconformity, depending on the nature of the clothing or accessory. Men are less likely to wear leopard print, unless they are a rock star or are consciously striving to shock.
Is leopard print in style 2024 women's? ›
Yes…it's baaaaackkkk…. leopard prints. It seems every year, one of the animal prints take a dominant position in the official fashion trends, and leopard prints win this year in the 2024 fashion trends.
Does leopard print make you look bigger? ›
Animal prints won't make you appear any larger or smaller, but they will definitely make a statement.
What nail colors go with leopard print? ›
Go wild with picking out colors: for a traditional leopard print, try a beige base, a tawny golden feature color, and a dark brown or black outline. Or else go tone-on-tone, with lime green, medium green, and black — or lavender, purple, and black.
What is the best color profile for print? ›
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) is the colour space for printed materials, so you should be using the CMYK colour profile for any design that will be physically printed.
Does leopard go with everything? ›
Treat leopard print as a neutral color when composing your outfit. This means that you can pair it with just about any color. It goes especially well with fall colors, however, such as: brown, burgundy, gold, navy, olive green, and plum. Black, tan, and red also work great with leopard print.
Does yellow go with leopard print? ›
Although you want to be careful about wearing too many bold colors and prints in one outfit, some brighter hues can work. Red, pink, and yellow are eye-catching colors, but they usually don't clash with leopard.
