Leopard Print Outfits: How Italian Women Wear Them

Today, we’re talking about leopard print outfits and how Italian women wear this print.

So, whether you need help styling the only leopard print item in your wardrobe or have a lot more, you’re in the right place.

We’ll also chat about the clear patterns I noticed on the streets of Milan, which might make you rethink how you wear yours.

My Thoughts & Tips On Wearing Leopard Print As An Italian Woman

Firstly, I want to share my stand on animal print.

I’ve always seen it as something that’s a double edged sword. It can look really good or really tacky, depending on how you do it and also who is wearing it. This is why I always limited myself to small clothing pieces – a scarf, a pair of pointed flats, and the last piece in my wardrobe, which I still own and wear – in fact, I’ve shared a recent outfit in my newsletter – is a leopard print maxi skirt.

Looking back, I can see that the only animal print items I owned were all leopard print. It’s the most popular, and also one of the chicest. But if I had to name my other favorites, there would definitely be tortoise shell (especially for accessories), jaguar (very similar to leopard), and giraffe.

When I said that it can look really good or tacky depending on how you do it and who is wearing it, this is what I meant.

I believe there are many factors that play a role: your body frame, your color season, which piece you are wearing (is it a bag or a full dress?) and how much you are wearing, your style and personality, and of course, how you’re styling it.

In my opinion it all comes to one thing: if you’re elegant, it’s very likely that you’ll find the right balance that works for you. You’ll be able to know when it’s too much, and find a way to tone it down, or you might even choose to make a bigger statement by adding another bold item. You’ll see this in action in one of the outfits below.

If you don’t have a clue how to balance it, here are a few guidelines I follow myself:

If you’re petite, less is usually more. By that I mean, start with a smaller piece and go bigger slowly, but try avoiding wearing the print head to toe, unless it’s a Summer dress that shows enough skin to break it up.

Is it your first time wearing it? Start with an accessory – a small purse, a tote bag, a pair of flats, or pumps, a scarf. You can then move onto larger clothing pieces, like a skirt, or a shirt.

Don’t forget that leopard print, like any other animal pattern, has a distinct color. This means that it’s not going to suit everyone. You can learn about your color season here.

If you find out that your favorite print doesn’t suit you, you can still wear it, but try doing it as an accessory or wearing it on the bottom – skirt, trousers, shoes, bag. When you wear it on top, try breaking it by pairing it with another color that suits you. For me, it would be wearing it with something black – that’s perfect for a blazer or a coat, and I would also avoid buttoning it up, so the black is always visible.

And finally, don’t worry about it too much. Fashion is all about having fun with your style, finding a way to dress that makes you feel good, and depending on your personality, that might be more minimalist and simple or more bold and maximalist. Neither is wrong. You just need to find your perfect balance.

21 Leopard Print Outfits From Milan

It’s September when I am writing this, which is why I am starting by showing you the fall outfits. Keep in mind that this is Milan, and the weather gets cooler from October. It also rains a lot, so boots are a must from the beginning of fall. If we were to look at Rome or Sicily, some of these outfits will be more suited for early Winter.

Fall Leopard Print Outfits

I’d like you to look at all the outfits for fall and spot your favorites. Focus on the ones you really like, but also pay attention to those you dislike, and ask yourself what you don’t like about them, and why. This is how you start uncovering your personal style, which helps you understand how to dress in a way that reflects it.

Here are my observations:

All the outfits look very sophisticated, even though animal print can be overpowering at times. Can you see why that is? It’s because every outfit only includes one distinct piece of that print. Everything else is kept fairly neutral, and classic. Even the outfit with the two stacked prints looks balanced.
You can clearly spot these outfits are being worn by Italian women by the styling and how much tailoring there is.
My most favorite is the jeans and blouse, followed by the skirt and leather jacket. I also like the one that’s stacking two prints (I’d probably never wear it, but I could still find ways to stack two prints in smaller volumes – like a scarf and a bag).
My least favorite is the one with the leather skirt, because it’s also the boldest. The split, the animal print, and the leather are all too much for my style when combined together. I do love the pop of color on the shoes. It breaks the color palette off in an unexpected but genius way.

Outfit and wardrobe ideas for you to try based on these outfits:

A leopard print blouse with jeans (I prefer a darker shade of blue).
Try a pair of leopard trousers with all black and tan accessories.
Wear your leopard midi skirt with all black and a leather jacket.
Try a lighter color palette: pair leopard print with greige, instead of black.
If you really love it, consider investing in a leopard print blazer.

Leopard Print in Winter

This is probably the season that surprised me the most. I didn’t expect to see all the leopard print coats, but it totally makes sense.

If you love a color, or in this case – a print, the only way to truly make it shine in Winter, is to invest in a coat, because that’s the one thing you’ll be wearing on top, the one everyone will see, and it’s what ties your winter outfits together.

Have a look at all the leopard coat outfits. Only one woman isn’t wearing one!

What do you think?

If you had asked me – would you wear a leopard print coat – before writing this post, I would have answered likely no.

Now, I say maybe I would try it on first, and then see how it looks on me, with the right outfits.

I can also notice what I clearly like and don’t like. And that’s a more neutral or darker base – like the coats in outfits 1 and 3.

I definitely don’t like the lighter camel or almost golden base colors, and that’s good, because those colors don’t suit me.

In terms of styling, we can see everything – from jeans, to trousers, skirts and suits.

I also like how black is not the only color being worn underneath the leopard coat.

My favorite outfits are the two extreme opposites, and perhaps that shows there’s a part in me that would actually like to wear more color, or perhaps I like color but not on me. The outfits I am referring to are 1 and 5, with 6 being the one I would wear right now if I had that coat.

What about you?

If the thought of owning a leopard coat intrigues you, think about the style you like the most among all of these.

I already told you which color I like the most, but in terms of style it is definitely n.6. It’s the shortest, which is better for us petite women.

Here are all the outfit ideas you could put together with a leopard coat:

Wear it over jeans and a white shirt.
Wear it over a suit for work (provided it’s the right style and color).
An all black outfit
Pair it with jewel colors, provided they suit you.
Wear it for date night or a special occasion over a dress or a midi skirt.
Contrast it with lighter colors, including white, greige, and light pink.

How to Wear Leopard in Spring & Summer

Summer was the season I was expecting to see most leopard print, but it turned out quite the opposite.

Spring is definitely the one where you see it less, and I have a theory about that. While leopard print is a neutral in my book, it does feel a little more fall and winter because of the darker warmer colors. I think that’s why Italian women wear it the most during the colder months.

For this reason, I am combining both seasons into this last section. Also, depending on how hot it gets where you are or where you’re traveling to, many of the Spring outfits can also be worn during cooler summers.

This final section brings it home for me. Italians are not afraid to wear leopard print, not even with a pop of color, or head to toe. And it seems like whichever way they do it, it always looks right – never too much, but always intentional and effortless.

Do you agree with me?

This doesn’t mean I am saying I would wear the leopard print with the lime green. No, I wouldn’t, because it’s not my style and those colors don’t suit me.

But I can still appreciate it’s a nice outfit, and that all these outfits have so many things in common: they are elegant, they are never too much (at least on the right woman), most of them have that element of Italian tailoring we know and love, they are simpler than they look – other than the lime green, it’s all classic color palettes and accessories.

And if you’re wondering which I’d wear, it’s probably the wide leg trousers with a different top. Now, ask yourself which you would wear and why?

Of course, let’s not forget that leopard print can be a great beachwear classic – bikini, swimsuit, sarong, beach bag.

More Italian Style Inspiration

Is this what you expected from the Milan leopard print outfits?

Of course, there are many more we didn’t look at because I haven’t spotted them. I can imagine a full leopard print suit, or a pencil skirt, more leopard print bags and shoes, and plenty of small and larger scarves.

Depending on your personal style, I have two other guides that will intrigue you.

Love bold styling? Here’s one for you.

Prefer more timeless and classic? Have a look here.

If you enjoyed reading this, almost as if we were chatting together (that’s why I like to ask many questions and have you interact with the post), you can join my Italian newsletter – Buona Settimana. That’s the best way to connect with me directly. Inside it, we chat about fashion, but also life, Italian food, culture and travel. Sign up through one of the boxes on this page.

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A presto,
Alessia