Slate Blue Leopard Dress

Hi, friends! I’m back today with another fun pre-fall look that is perfect for date night! The leopard trend has been hitting hard the past couple years, so today I’m sharing my take on how to incorporate a little animal print into your fall wardrobe.

For me, the leopard print can actually be a bit on the wild side as far as my style goes, so I opted for this gorgeous slate blue version that feels quite a bit more elevated from the traditional brown Cheetah Girls style. Sometimes a print can feel much more approachable when done in an un-conventional color combination (as ironic as it sounds for blue leopard to feel more approachable than neutral colored ones).

This fun animal print dress is from last year, but there are plenty of different leopard print pieces out this fall too (I’ve linked a couple options below). But my biggest suggestion on following trends is to go slow in your hunt to find the perfect piece that works for you. Trends can be fleeting, but that doesn’t mean you have to treat it that way in your own wardrobe. If you love a trend (and you don’t have to love them all by the way), it’s probably because you genuinely love some aspect of that style. So why not try to incorporate that same aspect you love into your existing wardrobe for the long haul? That’s not to say that your tastes won’t evolve over time, or that because I like animal print, I need to incorporate it into every outfit I wear. But because I took the time to find a dress I truly love (in fit, color, print, and material), I now have a lovely statement piece to wear time and time again (whether leopard is in next season or not). Does that make sense? I’m all about following the trends you love, but I’m also about being mindful and consuming responsibly as well. So what I’m saying is trend lightly, friends. 😛

I love pairing prints together (here, here and here). And I especially love pairing the same type of prints together like plaid on plaid and stripes on stripes. So I challenged myself here to pair leopard on leopard by pairing a brown animal print belt around the waist of the dress for a look that’s fun yet subtle and not too over the top.

Since the temperature here in Boulder is still very summer-like, I didn’t need to add any black tights under my dress, but it’s definitely something I would do on chillier days. To give this look a little more fall feeling in the interim, I wore black heeled booties that dress the look up a bit for date night.

Another great thing about this leopard dress? It has both blacks and browns accents in it, so I can mix and match my accessories without fail. Black boots? Check! Brown belt? Check check!

And for those cooler fall nights that are well on their way to finding us (I hope!), I simply throw on a tan sweater cardigan over top. Not only does the sweater add warmth, but it also adds visual interest with the differing lengths between the dress and cardigan. It’s a trick I love to do (like in this look from last year with a skirt and long duster vest), especially in the fall when I can get away with bare legs!

What about you? Have you incorporated the leopard trend into your wardrobe this season?

You might also like…Another Fall Date Night Look and How To Sytle Animal Print At Work.

Photos by Noah Berg

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Get the Look…

Dress: Cupcakes & Cashmere | Sweater: Madewell | Boots: Old Navy | Belt: J. Crew (similar)