Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Leopard & Lace

Dress (Talbots); Cashmere Cardigan (Boden); Shoes (Bandolino); Bag (Brahmin); Watch (Charriol)
I've had these calf-hair leopard print shoes from Bandolino for a few years, and I've generally worn them only with black, brown and camel.  But, leopard prints are everywhere again this fall, and this time around they're being touted by stylists, fashion magazines, and fellow bloggers as a "neutral" that goes with just about anything.  

I'm not sure I completely buy into the "leopard as neutral" theory, but I do like touches of leopard paired with red, so thought I'd give it a try with a red dress.  I was a bit hesitant about wearing them with this particular dress, because the pattern of the heavy embroidered lace over the nude lining (another big trend this year) is already pretty bold.  But, matching red shoes actually competed with the dress and took focus away from the exquisite detail of the lace.  A basic nude pump would have worked well, but I didn't have any (What?! How can that be?!)  So, the "leopard as neutral" experiment was on.  I really love this dress.  I really love these shoes.  I'm pretty sure I like these shoes with this dress, but maybe, just maybe, I need to shop for a basic nude pump, too.  I mean, a girl's gotta have options, right?!

When it comes to animal prints, most people feel anything but neutral - they either love or hate them.  For my part, I'm a fan of animal prints in natural colors and small doses (meaning you won't see me around town in a hot pink zebra striped mini-dress).  How do you feel about animal prints?  Is leopard really a neutral?

Fashion is what you buy; Style is what you do with it!

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