I CAN'T QUIT LEOPARD PRINT
Some say, "Leopard is a neutral," but either way, this girl's got herself a problem.
So just now, as I was shoving my ninth leopard print coat into my closet, I wondered, how exactly did I get here? Why does this creature, hard launched by the ancient Egyptians - and in every image of ye olde good-time-guy Dionysus - continue to dominate fashion and the gals who love it? Why has my original Ganni leopard duster been slowly joined by Stand Studio, MaxMara, Raey (twice), Ulla Johnson, Sezane (one original, one brand new) and even a Carhartt? Why, on coming upon on leopard print coat, do I suddenly have the memory of a goldfish and the ravenous desire of, well, a wild cat?
I have an idea. See below. A google image search of “Kate Moss in leopard.” So much Moss in so much leopard that it was beyond my screen grabbing ability. We all have ladies who imprinted on us growing up, and in the 90s, Kate was mine (and yeah, I know, like a billion other people). The way she wore leopard nodded to the more structured 60s, but she somehow made it both retro and brand new. It’s like she took Edie Sedgwick and 80s Yves Saint Laurent and a lil’ Roberto Cavalli and a dash of Alaia and interbred all of them to make one very gorgeous cat.
When I was younger, I wore a lot of black (you know, because fashion people did in Soho and, like, in the movies), and now I barely wear it at all. I’m mad about any sort of print – florals especially, denim, anything taupe or olive and, on top of it all, leopard print. There’s a saying, “Leopard is a neutral,” and, frankly, whoever said that should be a Rhodes Scholar. You can throw a leopard topper on just about everything – even pajamas - it will look like anything from perfectly pulled together to artfully eccentric.
Leopard looks great on every person, with every melanin count, hair color and identification. It demonstrates an understanding of bohemian chic, even though you might just be wearing it to the deli. There are infinite variations and fabrications – from fair weather caftans to big pimpin’ coats (with a popped collar for good measure). There’s androgynous and there’s swooningly feminine, punk to princess. And while leopard is a bit of a show off, it’s strangely democratic. I think that’s what I love about it the most.
When the wonderful French ladies at Sezane got in touch with me a couple of years ago to ask if I wanted to collaborate on a collection (um, “OUI”), they asked me what I wanted to do the most. You guessed it; it was a leopard coat. I wanted something glamorous but utilitarian at the same time, that you could wear with jeans and a turtleneck. And damn, did they deliver. Released today, the Sezane coat is plush, the print perfectly rendered, the color the tastiest of caramels. When I first tried it on, I felt like Françoise Hardy (well, as much as a 49-year-old Australian can). And the coat was photographed for our campaign so beautifully, it made me want another one (I told you, goldfish brain).
Earlier today, I popped on my new Sezane coat and went to get my hair done. On my way home, at the local Chop’t on Amsterdam, the ladies mixing my salad took a look at me and said, as one, “Cool coat, girl!”
Thank you, my sisters. Just call me the Kate Moss of the Upper West Side.
(Stop laughing).
Well, I cannot say i’ve ever thought about leopard print in quite the same way but now all I can think about is how I need that coat.