You are currently viewing When You Love a Leopard and Floral Print Outfit

Back view of outfit with belted GNW leopard print sweater worn as top over eShakti floral print dress with Michael Kors plateau sandals, Jaeger tote (all own) and wooden sports watch c/o Jord

Post author:Nicole Mölders
Reading time:6 mins read

… This guide is for you. Mixing animal prints and florals is the new It. After reading this post you will know how to create an effortlessly chic leopard and floral print outfit.

Contents

The Old Rule
Stylist’s Tips to Get the Leopard with Floral Print Mix Right
Mixed Floral and Leopard Prints Outfit Ideas
Why Mixing these Prints Works

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.
Editor’s remark: When you are looking for a more general advice on styling leopard print, see the guide at the link.

The Old Rule

My mother always said “one pattern or print per outfit” and “the additional colors have to repeat colors of the print or pattern”. I never understood why. On the contrary, I always found it very tricky to get that rule to work as it comes close to color blocking with a print or pattern.

The New Rule: Mix Prints (and Pattern) and Ground Them

Coming back to my mom’s fashion advice, the part I disagreed strongly with her was the advice not to mix pattern/prints. I love mixing prints and patterns for a stylish look, and always did. I admit doing so is tricky.

The new fashion rule: mix prints and/or pattern. #fashion #trends Click To Tweet

The example below shows styling a snow-leopard and floral print look. Both pieces have a white background and lots of black. The outfit is grounded with a gray tweed skirt, gray ankle straps pumps and my shark gray Pippa bag.

style blogger in mixed pints for a warm spring work outfit — Notations snow leopard print cardigan, Paloma Picasso sunglasses, Notations floral print cardigan worn as top, Eddie Bauer tweed skirt, Modalo Pippa bag, Kieselstein Cord belt and buckle Hermes collier de chien bangle

over 50 years old fashion blogger looking posh chic in a work outfit with with leopard and floral print — Floral Notations cardigan worn as top under a Notations snow leopard cardigan with Eddie Bauer tweed skirt, Paloma Picasso sunglasses, Hermes Medor watch, Hermes collier de chien bangle, gray ankle strap pumps, and Modalo Pippa bag (all own)

Stylist’s Tips to Get the Leopard with Floral Print Mix Right

Here are my secrets to make mixed prints work:

Treat leopard prints as a neutral as is discussed in this guide. Leopard print plays well with floral prints, stripes. #secretsofstyle Click To Tweet
Try to pick prints of different size, but same color scheme.
Pick one color of the pattern to ground your prints. It is easiest using the background color of one of the prints. But most prints have black in them and that is a great color for grounding. Actually, it pulls the look to more sophisticated. Ground your prints when mixing prints. #styletip Click To Tweet
Keep accessorizing to a minimum and simple, but classic. You do not want that the people you meet look like they were scanning you.
Make the print mix the focus point of your outfit. #styleadvice Click To Tweet

Mixed Floral and Leopard Prints Outfit Ideas

In this outfit, I again mixed prints building on styling the animal print trend with an eternal summer classic, a floral dress. This time I wore a leopard cardigan as a sweater as temperatures were just in the 50s (10-15^oC).

However, to look ageless in floral prints over 40 you need some know how. Anything too natural or of same size as the animal print wouldn’t work. Also you have to consider the style of the floral print. Small regular florals read little girl or gamine style. This style won’t work with leopard print which reads grown-up.

Why Mixing these Prints Works

The two pattern work together as they have quite different size, and the nude of the cardigan and dress ground the look. Both pieces also have black in common. The plateau sandals pick up the orange of the floral print dress. The wooden watch and the cork of the sandals do the same for the brown shades of the cardigan.