Fashion
Gaudy or iconic? How leopard print took over
Worn by everyone from pin-ups and “mob wives” to Jackie O and royalty, leopard print has long divided opinion. As the festive season approaches, the bold pattern has clawed its way up to become the party look for now.
Once dismissed as kitsch, leopard print has quietly clawed its way into the mainstream – so much so that some now view the bold pattern as a neutral. As the party season approaches, high-street clothing rails are filled with blazers, blouses, belts and dresses – all sporting the once-divisive print.
But how did leopard print evolve into such a versatile style? While it has never truly disappeared from our wardrobes, the print has taken on many identities, symbolising everything from punk rebellion and rock ‘n’ roll edge to pin-up glamour and royal elegance. Despite its widespread appeal, let’s not forget, it has also weathered periods where it was considered gaudy.
For Jo Weldon, author of Fierce: The History of Leopard Print, it has always been a “progressive print”, and one she has long associated with outsiders. “It was considered so daring that the first woman to model it was an exotic dancer,” she tells the BBC, “likely due to its animalistic, untamed connotations.”
Leopard print’s history predates its modern fashion legacy. In Ancient Africa and Asia, real leopard skin was a symbol of status, worn by royalty and warriors. In the 20th Century, as the fabric became more accessible, Hollywood catapulted the print into pop culture with the problematic Tarzan films – most notably in 1946’s Tarzan and the Leopard Woman. Music icon Eartha Kitt adopted the print in an empowering move that reclaimed the fabric from these dubious associations with primitivism. Jackie Kennedy helped to cement its appeal – her 1962 leopard fur coat remains a source of inspiration even today, and at the time was said to have created a fashion trend that killed thousands of leopards.
Every time a celebrity poses on a red carpet, countless cameras flash, forever immortalizing their outfit, preserving the hundreds or even thousands of hours it has taken to create.
Sunday night’s Golden Globes were no different, with Zendaya channeling old Hollywood glamor in a saffron Louis Vuitton gown, Angelina Jolie wearing a dazzling crystal chain McQueen dress and Tilda Swinton donning a custom embroidered Chanel jacket.
Online, such red carpet outfits have long afterlives as they are shared around social media, dissected by influencers and journalists alike. But the real-life fate of the garments themselves is less well-publicized. What happens to them after their moment of fame — where do they go and when are they seen again?
Outfitted with a large film camera and often dressed in athletic wear, Seoul-based photographer Kim Seunggu has spent almost 15 years capturing the essence of what he calls “leisure culture” — vacationing, poolside unwinding and communal gatherings — in contemporary South Korea.
The focus of his ongoing series, “Better Days,” is all the more striking in a country that ranks fourth globally for the longest working hours and where the phenomenon of “gwarosa” (death by overwork) is thought to claim numerous lives annually. In 2023, the South Korean government was forced to abandon plans to increase the maximum working week from 52 to 69 hours amid backlash from Millennial and Gen Z workers. The proposed move was intended to combat the nation’s labor shortage stemming from a declining birth rate and an aging population.
Have you been waiting for a chance to see Molly-Mae “as never before”?
If so, you’re in luck, as she’s starring in a new TV series which comes out on Friday.
But that’s not all this week has in store.
Some familiar singles will be aiming for a second shot at love in the Love Island villa, and One Direction’s film returns to cinemas in tribute to Liam Payne.
Elsewhere, Pope Francis will be taking on controversial topics in his new autobiography, and the late Mac Miller’s album Balloonerism will drop at last.
Read on for all of this week’s biggest releases…
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