This post continues the “One Item, Multiple Ways” series I began in October (see post on styling a leopard print cardigan). In these articles, I take an item from my closet and show various ways to wear it. Many of you have similar pieces in your closets, so it’s my hope that my examples will give you ideas for expanding the wear of your clothing and accessories.
In this post, I continue the leopard print theme with my Bandolino “Holden” Leopard Buckle Flats. I purchased these ballet-style flats in late 2009 but didn’t wear them very often until this year. These shoes are now what I like to call a “wardrobe all-star.” I have worn them 22 times during 2012 and may slip in another wearing or two before the end of the year.
Leopard Print is a “Pseudo-Neutral”
For a long time, I was stymied on how to wear my leopard flats. I didn’t realize that leopard is a “pseudo-neutral,” which basically means that it “goes” with almost anything. Much like with black, brown, navy, grey, tan, cream, white, and denim, there aren’t many colors which don’t coordinate well with leopard print.
Once I started to get playful and a bit adventurous in styling my leopard flats, they regularly made it into my wardrobe rotation. When I get dressed, I always put my shoes on last, so I began to try the leopard flats with a multitude of outfits just to see if the pairing would work. Much to my surprise, they looked great with the majority of my outfits!
A Few Leopard Shoe Styling Examples
Here are some of the ways I’ve incorporated my leopard ballet flats into outfits:
- With red and other saturated colors (including cobalt and teal)
- With neutral tones such as black and navy
- With another leopard piece in the outfit (e.g. a top, coat, cardigan, or bag)
- With stripes or another print (to play with the still hot pattern-mixing trend)
My eight outfit examples in the gallery illustrate the styling options highlighted above.
Click on the thumbnail image to view the gallery.
The outfit examples I show all include pants or jeans. Although the flats could also be combined with a dress or skirt, I usually opt to wear heels in those cases (yes, I have leopard print heels, too, but I’m on the lookout for a more current and comfortable option). If you do opt to wear flats with a skirt or dress, it’s usually best to choose a shorter hem length (or a maxi-skirt). This article provides more information on navigating what can sometimes be a tricky style situation..
Wear Those Versatile Shoes!
Hopefully I’ve inspired you to either wear your existing leopard flats more often or to go out and get yourself a pair of these stylish and versatile shoes. I know that I will be loving and wearing mine for a long time to come!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of “One Item, Multiple Ways.” Stay tuned for another such article soon… If you have suggestions for future articles in this series (or on any other topic), please feel free to contact me.
About Debbie Roes
