As a fashion editor, I'm constantly asked for styling advice. Yet, the one question I'm always surprised to hear is a very simple one: "How to wear leopard print?"
I'm not immune to this debate either. A few weeks ago, after reviewing the biggest autumn/winter 2025 trends, I was seeking fashion advice on a leopard-print coat I was contemplating buying after seeing so many styles on the runway.
The response was overwhelmingly positive (some even insisted that leopard print is a neutral and, as such, a wardrobe investment that cannot be faltered), but coming to terms with its newfound chicness can be difficult, as the motif is so rooted in pop culture. Let's face it, it wasn't all that long ago that leopard print was considered tacky (hello, Janice from Friends or Kat from EastEnders), but in 2025, an arguably post-mob wife world where the outfits of Scarface's Elvira Hancock or The Sopranos' Adriana La Cerva are legitimately aspirational, it has undergone a fashionable renaissance and is now being widely embraced by the fashion crowd.
You need only glance at the feeds of Instagram's most achingly cool influencers (think Camille Charriere, Valeria Sobalera, even Alexa Chung) and you'll spot leopard print dresses, skirts, shoes and plenty of coats inspired by the way leopard print cropped up in recent collections, cementing it as a print trend worth considering.
Indeed, the classic print has been given a serious rebranding, and it's considered a totally accessible aesthetic. It's perfectly normal to see people walking down the street in a leopard top and jeans, as it can be what you want it to be: elegant, grown-up, eccentric… You can clash it with other prints (here's looking at you, Sara Brown) or pair it with minimalist staples for a pop of personality. Yep, this is leopard print for the postmodern age.
From dresses and denim like Ganni's viral leopard print jeans, to tops and skirts, there's a leopard look for everyone. I've scoured my favourite feeds to find my favourite outfits to spark your style imagination. As for the next six months? Take your cues from the runway imagery I've also collated for you for ease.
How to Wear Leopard Print: 6 Key Pieces to Get the Look
1. Leopard Print Dresses
Style Notes: Leopard print dresses are the easiest and most effective way to embrace the trend. A hallmark of '90s fashion—with vintage iterations from Alaïa worth hunting down on pre-loved platforms like Vinted, Vestiaire, eBay and The Real Real—there's something so understated and sensual about the silhouette. Best of all, it really takes the guesswork out of wearing leopard print, as you really just need to throw on this piece and go.
Shop the Trend:
Rixo should always be one's point of call for charming prints.
Delicate enough to wear in summer with boots and sophisticated enough to be dressed up under trench coats in winter.
The cowl neckline makes this style appear far more expensive than its price tag would give away.
2. Leopard Print Tops
Style Notes: Leopard print is a statement on its own, but due to its typically neutral hues, it lends itself well to being easily dressed up or down. This contrast also opens up a whole world of styling possibilities, as you can wear the striking pattern with more polishe staples like a Parisian-esque cute mini skirt and Mary Janes, which gives the look a lift.
Shop the Trend:
This is constantly selling out.
Add some interest to your jeans and a top combo with this chic print.
As covetable on its own as it is with the matching set.
3. Leopard Print Jackets & Coats
Style Notes: Nothing has the power to give your outfits a fashionable seal of approval quite like a leopard coat, as over-50s style icon Grece Ghanem proves. Wear it over simple outfits to give them some oomph. Still, if this look is too commanding for your liking, you can also soften the statement style by pairing it with a simple knit and jeans so that the jacket won't overpower the rest of your ensemble.
Shop the Trend:
I love the clash of prints in this look.
If you adore the country jacket trend, this style will tug at your heartstrings.
Go for a touch of realism with this incredibly sumptuous shearling coat.
4. Leopard Print Trousers
Style Notes: Parisians has been wearing leopard print for decades, and the easiest way to feel like you've just stepped from the City of Lights (and not New Jersey) is to ground your outfit with a pair of leopard-print trousers. This ensemble has become a bit of a French-girl fail-safe. It's all about balancing the loud print with androgynous separates. A blazer will do the job nicely.
Shop the Trend:
This light wash is such a subtle way of wearing leopard print.
Thrown on a bandeau and a boxy blazer for a stylish evening look.
The style that started it all.
5. Leopard Print Skirts
Style Notes: If you cast your mind back to 2017, you might be reminded of how leopard print slip skirts had a chokehold on style insiders. For those who haven't parted ways with this style, now is the time to bring it out of retirement, pairing it with everything from a fine-knit or sleeveless top in a contrasting colour or a crisp button-down.
Shop the Trend:
You can thank Réalisation for putting leopard skirts on the style map. Lucy still wears hers regularly—proof it's a sound investment.
A flirty mini and tights are a tried-and-true combination
Between the floaty silhouette and ankle-grazing shape, this leopard skirt is seriously elevated.
6. Leopard Print Trainers
Style Notes: After Wales Bonner x Adidas released a pair of leopard-print Sambas, the spotted pattern was cemented as a mainstream motif. Now, leopard-print trainers can be found across the designer set and every expensive-looking high-street staple and designer boutique.
Shop the Trend:
The Taekwondo is 2025's answer to the Samba.
This powder blue is one of the biggest autumn colour trends.
Zara trainers are so underrated.
How to Wear Leopard Print, As Seen on the Runway
Style Notes: Leopard print made five appearances in the Nina Ricci SS'24 collection, covering everything from sheer bralettes to billowing blouses.
Style Notes: Leopard-print dresses were the order of the day at Celine (and we're expecting the maxi length style to catch on in a big way).
Style Notes: A leopard-print skirt paired with leopard-print knit co-ord? I love it, Dior.
Style Notes: Take the maximalist approach by wearing your leopard-print trousers with a matching top akin to ROTATE.
Style Notes: The message at MSGM is clear: leopard coats are a staple, especially worn as a pop of colour over an all black 'fit.
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We regularly try on pieces ourselves—everything from best-selling jeans to designer shoes—and speak to external experts and fashion insiders, staying closely connected to what our readers are searching for. Our advice is grounded in expertise, and each and every buy we feature has to meet our exceptional taste standards—so you can feel confident in every recommendation.
