Animal prints have become a fashion classic, say design divas. The jungle influence can be seen in everything from hair bows to handbags, jackets to blouses to dresses. One place these influences are especially popular is in footwear of all kinds, where leopard print shoes have been high on the fashion scale for several consecutive seasons.
In fact, some fashion experts say that animal prints have become virtually timeless, especially in accessories such as shoes. Some even judge them just like basic black shoes, something that is timeless and matches nearly everything.
Walk On The Wild Side In Leopard Print Shoes
Some women may be reluctant to wear animal print shoes because they fear that the animal itself has been harmed to create their fashionable footwear. Their caution is understandable, since the beautiful leopard has become a “near-threatened species” worldwide. The smallest of the four “big cats” that includes the tiger, the lion and the jaguar, leopards once roamed all over Africa and southern Asia. Now they live mostly in sub-Saharan Africa because of habitat loss and population decline.
The good news is that the time is long past when leopards were hunted to provide exotic clothing for humans. Instead, the leopard’s distinctive patterns are copied today onto fabrics, leathers and other materials that make it entirely appropriate to buy and wear clothing with leopard prints. In fact, eco-conscious women can even use their leopard-print gear as a way to draw attention to the plight of the world’s remaining leopards.
Indeed, knowing that no leopard gave its life for your fabulous shoes puts the fun back into wearing them. And that’s a good thing, because there are more styles of leopard shoes than ever before.
Many fashion-conscious women own at least one pair of striking, stylish leopard print high heels. Some designers think that leopard print heels paired with denim jeans are a match made in heaven. These days, leopard print shoes include such unexpected versions as court or athletic shoes and ballet flats. You can even find leopard print sandals!
A Little Leopard Goes A Long Way
The trick to wearing animal print clothing effectively is to know your limits. To start with, you might wear only an animal-print belt or a scarf or carry an animal-print handbag or wear animal-print shoes. Another fashion faux pas is to wear two different animal prints at the same time, like a lovely pair of leopard print shoes with a zebra-striped handbag. A little goes a long way when it comes to adding animal prints to your wardrobe.
When choosing animal print clothing, always look for prints that have executed the animal’s pattern well. For instance, leopard prints may resemble those of its cousin the jaguar, but a good leopard print has dark brown or black rosettes that are more closely spaced together. Also, a quality leopard print doesn’t have a black center in its rosettes as a jaguar’s does. If you see a print like that on some footwear that intrigues you, it may be lovely but they aren’t authentic leopard print shoes.
Leopard prints truly have stood the test of time to become a fashion classic. Whatever their design, leopard print shoes can add just the right touch of jungle majesty to any outfit.