Wild Thing

How good does Helen Mirren look here? A Dolce & Gabbana leopard print maxi dress and leather biker jacket could end up looking a bit tacky, a bit Jackie Collins. But the 65-year-old actor pulls it off by opting for simple, slicked back hair and natural, glowing make-up. Snake might be the new print on the block but as Mirren proves, leopard is still a bit of an animal.

That's Not My Age already has a leopard print coat, dress and long-sleeved top, so now I'm thinking shoes. I've narrowed it down to these cute kitten heels from LK Bennett and a pair of lovely slippers from River Island:






Which do you prefer?


Photos
Helen Mirren at the Lucky magazine and thisnext.com party: LA Times

Where the wild prints are: part deux

So it's true, the animals come along two-by-two. Having found a neat Agnés b leopard print t-shirt I thought my animal hunger had been sated, but then I spotted this gorgeous vintage sixties coat. At £75 it cost around the same amount as the t-shirt, but you won't catch me wearing them together, remember the rules - double animal print is a no-no. With a coat this eye-catching, it's best to keep the rest of the outfit simple, but one thing I will be adding is a splash of Iggy Pop in Stephen Sprouse attitude;

'I bought a Day-Glo yellow hooded leopard print, three quarter length winter jacket,' said Mr Pop, ' I wore it out of the store and hailed a cab on Sixth Avenue, and the cab driver said, 'You've got the wrong holiday, it's not Halloween.' I thought, "All right, I'll show you. I'll make this jacket famous." I made it my mission to wear it everywhere. I sort of beat that one to death.'




Ever had an item of clothing that you never wanted to take off (or that a cab driver has insulted!)?


Images from The Stephen Sprouse Book

Where the wild prints are

Though it's had a mottled history, there's no denying that worn the right way animal print can look classy. And, from the cute stickers on Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's shop window to the iconic Mulberry Bayswater - leopard spots are everywhere this autumn, everywhere that is except my closet.





So, time for That's Not My Age to hunt down (sorry, couldn't resist) a little leopard. But the search for classy not trashy wasn't that easy; a Sonia Rykiel shirt (pricey and in a weird man-made fabric), a cardigan from M&S (it'll do if I can't find anything else) and this Yves Saint Laurent scarf from Liberty. Gorgeous obviously, but at two hundred and ninety English pounds, way too expensive. Where oh where are the wild prints?



Finally, I tracked down this lovely Agnes b t-shirt. Still a little intimidated by animal (even in a subtle-ish grey), so far the only way I've worn it is under the boyfriend jacket. Less Wenda Parkinson in American Vogue, more Rod Stewart in his prime - but the outfit has a certain late 70s charm don't you think? And anyway, I like Rod in leopard print, he wears it well.






And now for some animal print rules:

1. A little goes a long way. Head-to-toe is not a good look, not even in French Vogue. Easy tiger!
2. Animal print tights have amazing leg-slimming properties but choose your shoes carefully - black patent stilettos are a bit too Belle de Jour.
3. You'll not find any decent leopard print in a charity shop. I know I've tried.





Are there any other rules for wearing leopard spots?


Photos:

Wenda Parkinson, American Vogue, 1949: A Very British Glamour, Norman Parkinson

Balmain clad model outside a Paris bistro, 1954: 20th Century Fashion, Valerie Mendes and Amy de la Haye

Mr Rod Stewart CBE: allposters

Head-to-toe: French Vogue, Novembre 2009