Leopard print has crossed the floor. What was once the party frock of the rebel is now the kitten heel of the establishment. Naming no names. This is largely a good thing, because leopard being essentially a neutral means we can wear it every day, if we want to. And I do. But the taming of leopard has left a gap in our wardrobe for a look that is deliberately attention-seeking. A look you wear to signify that this particular evening you are going not just out for dinner but out-out. Or that you really love your friend and are really excited it’s her birthday. Or whatever. Leopard print doesn’t do that any more. It’s a bit like that phrase, deeply silly but somehow appropriate in its throwback corniness: when you marry your mistress, you create a vacancy. The leopard has been domesticated, so what’s still wild?
Zebra is the animal print leading the pack, as it were, but it is by no means a direct swap. Zebra means something different from leopard. I don’t mean it in a weird way when I say this, but the zebra just isn’t a sexy animal. Cats, leopards, panthers: those are your go-to sexy beasts. There is nothing seductive about a stripy horse. Nope.
But while it might not be sexy-hot, it is fashion-hot. There were zebra stripes in Alexa Chung’s latest Marks & Spencer collection and in the last Topshop show at London fashion week, and this Finery skirt has been getting a lot of industry love. As with leopard, wearing zebra head to toe isn’t really an option, but it takes practice to figure out what to wear animal prints with. Black is the obvious choice but tends to increase the headache-inducing Bridget Riley aspect rather than soften it. Hot pinks and electric blues can be fabulous in an 80s backing singer way: add 10 denier tights for full effect. But for real life, a rich, grownup colour is best: a strong cream, navy, olive green or tobacco. Or denim blue. Something that can hold its own against zebra, but is still neutral. And not leopard. That really would be a rebellion too far.
• Jess wears polo neck, £39.50, marksandspencer.com. Skirt, £109, finerylondon.com. Courts, £225, russellandbromley.co.uk. Styling: Melanie Wilkinson. Hair and makeup: Laurence Close at Carol Hayes Management.
