How to wear: Leopard print

All pictures taken from Pinterest

Kad me neko pita koji mi je omiljeni dezen ja bez razmišljanja odgovorim: "Zmijski." Međutim, postoji još jedan dezen koji je već decenijama poznat u modnoj industriji i vraća se iznova i iznova - leopard. Mislim da nijedan trend ne izaziva podeljena mišljenja poput ovog: jedni su njime oduševljeni, drugi se zgražavaju na samu pomisao na njega, i to ne bez razloga. Da bi leopard print izgledao dobro u nekoj odevnoj kombinaciji on mora biti, pre svega, kvalitetno dizajniran, a potom i uklopljen s ukusom. Ukoliko želite da nosite leopard print, bilo kao dominantan komad ili kao aksesoar, ove smernice vam mogu biti od koristi:


1. Široki komadi naspram uskih:  leopard print na brojnim komadima može izgledati degutantno i kič ukoliko su ti komadi tesno pripijeni uz telo. Naime, da bi odeća mogla da prati figuru ona mora biti od elastičnog materijala da bi se prilagođavala vašem telu dok se krećete, a ako se dezen poput ovog nađe na takvom materijalu, pri istezanju može da se deformiše i dobićete upravo onaj efekat koji nikako ne želite. Međutim, kada odaberete nešto komotnije s ovim dezenom on neće delovati "zategnuto" i svaka šara će izgledati definisanije i urednije, a samim tim i luksuznije.


2. Veličina je važna:  za leopard print, ako mene pitate, važi isto pravilo kao i za tufne - često izgleda bolje ako su šare manjih dimenzija. Mala do srednja šara je najbolji izbor kad je ovaj dezen u pitanju jer krupniji dezen može narušiti proporciju vaše figure čineći neke delove tela vizuelno širim. Uostalom, ni na samim leopardima šare nisu naročito velike, zar ne?


3. Kombinujte s neutralnim komadima:  kada poželite da nosite neki komad s leopard printom najbolje je uklopiti ga tako da se upravo on ističe u celoj kombinaciji, stoga bi ostatak iste trebalo da ostane sveden. Sa crnom, belom i teksasom sigurno nećete pogrešiti, a isto važi i za bež i smeđe nijanse koje su, uostalom, kompatibilne sa samim printom. Zamislite potpuno crnu odevnu kombinaciju nadograđenu jaknom ili kaputom u ovom dezenu - besprekorno!


4. Odabir aksesoara:  ukoliko se premišljate da li da nosite leopard print ili ne, ili se plašite da ćete preterati, najbolje je početi od detalja. Cipele, tašna, kaiš ili bilo koji drugi aksesoar može učiniti kombinaciju mnogo zanimljivijom, a i ako vam se dopadne rezultat to vas može ohrabriti da se kasnije opredelite i za nešto upečatljivije.


Kako vi nosite leopard print - da li dominira vašim kombinacijama ili ga uključujete kroz detalje? Recite mi u komentarima, ja ću vam uskoro pokazati kako volim da ga nosim. ;)

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When someone asks me what my favourite pattern is I know what I'm going to say without much thinking: "Snake print." However, there is another pattern which has been trending in the fashion industry for decades and always keeps coming back  - the leopard. I don't think that any other trend can cause such a love/hate reaction from people: some absolutely love it, and some are repulsed by the sole thought of it, and there are reasons behind it. In order to make leopard print look good in an outfit it has to be, first and foremost, designed with quality, and then worn with taste. In case you want to wear leopard print, whether as a statement piece or as accessories, you could use these guidelines:


1. Loose over tight:  leopard print can look quite kitschy on many garments if they are tightly pressed against the figure. Namely, a tight item has to be made of elastic fabric in order to adjust to your body as it moves, and if a pattern such as this one is on such fabric it can get deformed as it stretches and you'll get the exact effect that you don't want. However, if you choose something loose with this pattern it won't look "stretched out" and each pattern will look more defined and neater, and therefore more luxurious.


2. Size matters:  if you ask me, you can apply the polka dot rule to the leopard print - it often looks better if the patterns are small. A small to medium sized pattern is the best choice when it comes to this print because the bigger one can make your figure look disproportional by making some of your body parts seem wider than they really are. Besides, not even leopards themselves have huge spots, do they?


3. Keep it neutral:  when you feel like wearing a leopard print garment it is best to make it a statement piece of your outfit, and therefore the rest of it should be as simple as possible. You can never go wrong with black, white or denim, and the same applies to beige and brown shades which are, obviously, compatible to the print itself. Just imagine an all black outfit with a leopard print jacket or coat - flawless!


4. Accessorize cleverly:  if you're having second thoughts about wearing this print or not, or you're afraid you'll overdo it, the best way to start is with details. A pair of shoes, a handbag, belt or any other accessory can make your outfit look much more interesting, and if you like the result it can encourage you to go for something bigger in the future. 


How do you wear leopard print - do you wear it in statement pieces or do you include it in your outfits through accessories? Let me know in the comments, I'll show you how I like to wear it soon. ;)