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I tried incorporating animal print into my wardrobe - and it was (almost) a disaster

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This is currently the one of the most popular skirts on Instagram: 

??Dreamgirl @devonleecarlson wearing her Naomi skirt in LA??

A post shared by Réalisation Par (@realisationpar) on


Everyone who's worth their salt in influencing is wearing one of these silky, leopard printed, Réalisation Par midis. After seeing it on so many bodies I follow on Insta, I started to understand why this skirt has sold out so often, and why it is in such high demand.

The shape is super flattering, and the leopard print just looks so pretty styled in new and adventurous way, with bold boots, pastels and dad shoes. 

So leopard print is coming back. 

Miu Miu's recent Resort 2019 show solidified this assumption, giving us roars all over the ramp, with Uma Thurman leading the wild pack. 

Image: Getty

But did I suddenly want to go into the wild, just because it's trending, or was there actually a possibility that I would be able to effortlessly incorporate this print into my semi uniform-like wardrobe (high-waisted jeans and black long-sleeved tees with boots)? 

Well...

Entering H&M I immediately spot this...

But I think it's probably because it's the most obvious one. Big, fluffy, leopard print... BAM, in my face. 

Not so much me, no thanks. 

So I tried looking for new ways in which the leopard print has been introduced to style an outfit or add to a look more than being the whole outfit. (More my style - it's all in the details)

READ MORE: A creative director, a designer, a business owner, and a stylist tell us about the one item they wear non-stop in winter 

Heels, pumps, sock boots inhabited Zara aplenty...

But these heels are so classic they made me almost grab a black bodycon and head on off to the Camps Bay strip!

But alas, I resisted the urge.

I needed more! Why are there no cool ways of doing animal prints? I heard Instagram influencer Stories whispers about cow print. Where was the moo? 

READ MORE: Winter shoe sales up to 50% off 

Finally, at Cotton On I spotted this jacket. One I would never pick out (and one I, perhaps, shouldn't have chosen to try on now, either). 

Hello wildtuin (Kruger National Park)! All I needed were a pair of crocs and a white wine spritzer. 

So, no. 

Not even a French person could save this look. 

A Zara scarf perhaps? That's pretty French (which equals 'chic' in a lot of fashion speak). 

I had to accept the fact, ultimately that a) there are almost zero to none cool, modern animal prints in our shops (yet) and b) leopard print might just not be in my colour wheel. 

But then, this happened...

Feelin' myself.

This Witchery, leopard printed pleated midi skirt, R899, might just be my answer to that coveted Instagram-famous skirt. It wasn't silky, or uncannily similar, but it was/is/will forever be banging. 

So, I think it wasn't the print I was ever interested in, it was the print in this specific silhouette that tickled my fancy. 

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