How to Confidently Wear Animal Prints at Any Age
Does the thought of wearing animal prints make you think twice? Even if you love leopard, no one wants to look like a middle-aged cougar on the prowl.
How can you tame big cat style to look classy, not flashy? Here’s how to look fabulous and feel confident in animal prints at any age.
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How to Confidently Wear Animal Prints at Any Age
1. Wear Animal Prints Sparingly
A bit of animal print is sexy and chic, but too much might make you look like a fashion victim. I like to live by the ONE ANIMAL RULE: If you are wearing a leopard sweater, for example, you don’t need a leopard purse or leopard shoes to go with it. That’s matchy-matchy overkill.
If you are new to animal prints, why not start small, like with a chic animal print accessory? A shoe or a bag lets you ease into animal prints and add a touch of boldness to an everyday outfit.
Cashmere Leopard Sweater | Faux Leather Pants | Slingback Shoes | Bag | Earrings
2. Don’t Mix Animal Prints
It’s a rare fashionista who can pull off more than one animal print at a time, and even then, she knows you don’t mix beasts.
Leopard and giraffe? Snake print and zebra? Wear one type of animal per outfit so you don’t look like a walking zoo.
Leopard Cardigan | Brown V-neck | Black Jeans | Brown Booties | Belt
3. Choose Classic Shapes
Animal prints can be a bit wild and busy, so stick to classic pieces with clean lines to look elegant, not cheesy. A tiger-print shirtdress, zebra trench coat(like the one I wore here), leopard jeans, or python pumps are all excellent examples of great statement pieces.
Stay clear of animal print clothing that is fussy, frilly, sparkly, shiny, teenage-trendy, or skimpy. Keep your look simple and sleek like the animal itself.
Leopard Wrap Dress| Black Jacket | Slingback Pumps | Wallet | Bracelet
4. Pair Animal Prints with Solid Colors
Animal prints look sophisticated when worn next to a solid color, making the print stand out. Neutrals like black, brown, camel, white, gray, and taupe create a very elegant look.
For example, wear a silky brown and white giraffe-print blouse with white pants or a black and camel leopard sweater with a black skirt. Neutral colors quiet animal prints and turn down the edginess a notch.
Do you prefer a more daring color? A gorgeous shade of red or burgundy paired with leopard is dramatic and doable for most women. Deep, jewel-toned shades in green and purple worn with leopard look rich and sophisticated.
Purple Leopard Shirt | Jeans | Slingback flats | Purse | Earrings
5. Be Cautious with Colored Animal Prints
We’ve talked about what colors to wear with animal prints, but what about the actual color of the animal print? The easiest colors to wear are those found in nature.
The closer the animal print looks to the real animal, the more high-quality the clothing appears. Artificial-looking animal prints like pink zebra or blue leopard are fad color combinations that can cheapen your look.
However, sometimes you can find a top in a colored animal print that is done just right – a classic piece with a subtle animal print in a classy color that looks modern. This chic purple shirt is a great example of that.
Leopard Vest | Black Jeans | Black Top | Black Booties | Earrings
6. Keep Accessories Simple
An animal print is a strong focal point, so you don’t want to overcomplicate your look by wearing a lot of jewelry or heavy, glitzy accessories.
Any earrings, necklaces, bracelets, belts, or shoes should complement your animal print, not compete for attention.
Leopard Sweatshirt | Black Bootleg Jeans | Tote
7. Avoid Animal Prints on Heavy Areas
Animal prints are attention-getters, meaning an animal print worn over the heaviest part of your body will draw the eye there.
For example, if you are bottom-heavy, stay away from animal-print skirts. Instead, try wearing an animal-print top with a dark, solid-colored skirt or pants. The leopard will draw attention to your bust, and the dark bottom will give the illusion of a smaller bottom half.
The reverse is true if you are big-busted. In this case, wear the dark color up top and the leopard print below. Do you have great legs? Try animal print shoes to spotlight your fab ankles and calves.
Have Fun!
Animal prints are playful, alluring, and fun to wear when you know how to style them. Follow these guidelines for your best big cat look!
Do you own an animal-print outfit, or do you think animal prints are too bold to be beautiful?
Deborah, what great tips. Along with delicate floral prints, animal prints are my favorite pattern. You showed how women can wear animal prints in a classy, chic way. A couple of your descriptions made me chuckle, like “middle-aged cougar on the prowl” or “walking zoo.” :) I love animal prints and have many items – tops, skirts, dresses, shoes, accessories, and even headbands. I have a leopard, cheetah, tiger, and giraffe. One common thread in every piece I own is that they’re classic, well-tailored, never skin-tight, and not revealing.
Hi Carolyn, It sounds like you have the right idea! Classic pieces and a bit of a wild print balance well, and can still look elegant. Of course gorgeous fabric helps too like a cashmere leopard print sweater, a silky animal print skirt, or a nice leather snake print bag. Thanks for dropping by. I don’t like to take fashion too seriously so I’m glad you like my descriptions – haha!
I have a midi pencil skirt, a gathered maxi, a mock neck sweater, and a short rain jacket for those occasions when I need drama. All in leopard print. To be worn individually, of course. I have loved Leopard since I was a teen, and I still do, and I am 80. I just started receiving your newsletter. Love your style
I have a black suede outfit with a zebra print around the collar and cuffs. I look forward to wearing it when the weather gets cold, but I am concerned that it is out of style. I haven’t seen anyone else wearing an outfit like it. Should I get rid of it?
Hi Irene,
Leopard print is more the trend this fall. This does sound a bit dated with the matching collar and cuffs. I’d say, if you feel that it is out of style, you are probably right. Go with your gut.
Cheers, Deborah
I like animal print in small doses, worn as accessories. I have a pair of leopard print flats that I love, a leopard print scarf, a couple of zebra flats, and a snakeskin purse. These prints are fun and timeless, and I think they look great on anyone from 0 to 100.
Fashion has no age. People assume when you get to a certain age, that’s when you need to change your clothing style. Rubbish! It’s not what you wear but how you wear it. A woman can look fantastic in animals or any print because of her figure, beauty, or skin texture. A woman can look terrible at age twenty because of her figure, appearance, and skin texture. It annoys me when people assume you can’t wear this or do that after a certain period, etc., etc. Again, nothing to do with age but more with what kind of person you are and how you feel about yourself. Another example mini skirts. They somehow have an age cut-off. For heaven’s sake, a forty-five-year-old can look smashing in a mini while a twenty-five-year-old best wears pants. It all depends on how you pull it off, your figure, your attitude, your confidence, and so on. So anyone who says you can’t do this or that because you are aging tells them to get their heads examined and stop making up garbage that somehow travels through the years.
I love how you emphasized the importance of toning this wild print down as the first in the list because this trendy, luxe print is already a statement; I learned more about wearing it with other neutral colors to balance it. Lately, however, I´ve been experimenting with how to wear it with different prints and bright colors. I´ve been gathering inspiration around the web.
Thanks a lot for this gorgeous guide!
Hi Creative Fashion Glee… great tips! Thanks for sharing… lovely blog too!!
Fabulous tips! Animal print used to be the trademark for older adults but NOT anymore. Girls of any age love this luxe print.
Hi Cathy, LOL.. that seems to happen a lot around here!!! You should try wearing that leopard coat with jeans to run around town and see if you can’t have some fun with it!!!
Your new top sounds excellent!! Enjoy!!!!
Gee, thanks for answering so quickly. After I wrote this, I found a nice small-scale animal print blouse at winners, which I love. It is a very subtle tiny scale leopard-type pattern on a sheer fabric. I wore it over black jeggings with a narrow slate bow belt, a long cardi, and metallic ballet flats. Being 5’9″ – this is a great look for me. So, I guess my motto now never says. But once you hate something – get rid of it.
In desperation, I used to be about 30 lbs heavier and bought a long animal print jacket to wear to several slightly dressy events. My husband hated that jacket – even after I lost 30 lbs and had it taken in, he still didn’t like it. The fit is very flattering now- but now I wouldn’t say I like the animal print too.
I think after age 50 or so, animal print is best confined to smaller accessories like a scarf or, even better –
Gloves or perhaps shoes. Anything more significant is challenging to get right.
Hi Cathy,
Animal print can be tricky, and so many variations of image and quality of the fabric and style need to be considered. I (JoJamit got rid of an animal print swing coat I repurchased a few years ago. I wore it for fun with jeans while running errands around town. I have a bold personality and seemed to be able to “pull it off,” but I got tired of it and had not worn it much lately, so it went in the giveaway pile. Wearing it casual is more accessible than trying to wear it for a formal affair. I would not rule it out for everyone, but a full animal print coat is not for the faint of heart!
A great tip to add to my fashion “do not do” list! Don’t overdo it on the animal prints – check!! I’ll save my need to be more animal-like for the gym! Agreed – I love the burgundy shoes- great outfit!