Call of the Wild

We find a lot of our customers come in and are worried they are “too old” to wear things they would like to, and I think there is always a way round this. 

I was interested to see Elinor Block in “Who What Wear” advise that knowing how to wear leopard print comes down to one simple rule – treat it like any black item in your wardrobe.  Another way of looking at it, is to treat leopard print like a neutral rather than a print. You will find it works surprisingly well with most things, and can even be mixed up with other prints, stripes and checks.  From the 60’s onwards leopard print has been associated with rock stars - remember Debbie Harry of Blondie looking incredible in it.  More recently it can be seen as a classic in any wardrobe, just like denim and a little black dress is, but this season it is particularly booming and there is so much to chose from.  Leopard print can make a classic white t shirt and a pair of denim jeans have an instant update, and will definitely give you a bit of a spring in your step.    And there is no reason not to wear leopard print with more leopard print – so we are happy we can offer you not just dresses, knits and tops but also shoes and boots! 

Here is my round up of the best of the leopard print in Cavells at the moment. 

For a nice silky top, we love the Lollys Laundry high neck blouse, which can be dressed up for evening or worn with a chunky cardigan like the American Vintage Boulder cardigan for a cool day time look.  Slightly more sheer, is the chiffon top from Munthe and we also have this same print in a really pretty ruffle dress. 

Knitwear is always a firm favourite with our customers, and luckily we love it too so we are happy to really indulge in lots and lots of lovely cashmere.  Jumper 1234 have a wild and wonderful camo sweater in a navy/khaki combination which has a variation of animal prints on the body and the arms.  The classic colour combination works to combat the double prints and makes a really nice classic piece.  And we have a very luxurious v neck sweater from 360 cashmere in a bold and striking leopard print in really rich colours, this would work so well with some washed denim jeans and chunky boots. 

Accessories are a great start to adding some print in your wardrobe, especially if you just want to dip your toe in the water, so to speak!  The Alpe leopard ankle boot is a rich, striking leopard print and works equally well with jeans or dresses.  Ivy Lee have the Stella leopard boot which has slightly more of a heel and more caramel tones which give a slightly lighter look than the Alpe ones.  For absolute killer elegance consider the Pretty Ballerina Ella zebra pump in nude and black colourway.

One of our favourite coats this season is this Munthe three quarter length in olive green with a subtle animal print design.  It even has an incredible camo lining, which  really makes this a special coat.