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.