Get Spotted: Our Top Animal Print Picks Under $100

Odyssee de Cartier ad

Odyssee de Cartier ad

What Not To Wear‘s Stacy London has proclaimed again and again that leopard print is a neutral. Think about it: it’s predominately beige, it matches with just about every color — scratch that, it matches with every color — and we can’t think of a single second in the last five decades when it wasn’t in style. For fall, leopard is a perennial favorite with it’s sumptuous texture and high-impact look. Brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli can always be counted on for a selection of seasonless leopard standbys, and even labels like Cartier take inspiration from leopards for jewelry and ad campaigns. The thing about leopard that we love most, however, is that it’s accessible at any price (you can’t trademark an animals spots, after all) and here are our favorite ways to add a dash of this daring print to your fall staples.

H&M sleeveless dress

H&M sleeveless dress

For the daring, a leopard dress is no big deal. Picture Bianca Jagger at Studio 54, Tamara Mellon walking around Monaco, Dita von Teese vamping it up on a red carpet. But for more demure dames, something like the H&M sleeveless dress ($24.95) is an easy piece to wear. The easy, simple shape gets a little more interest thanks to the allover print, and it’s basically a blank canvas for everything you add. Cover up with a black blazer and add a colorful belt for work or add tights and sky-high heels if you’re on the prowl after hours. Picture it with a moto jacket or a cardigan and you’ll see just how versatile a dress can be. Desk to dinner, cubicle to cocktails, we dare you to find a place you can’t make this work.

Available at H&M.

Printed calf hair belt

Printed calf hair belt

For girls who are less daring, we’ll start slow. If the full on leopard ensemble was too much, we’re suggesting you start small with a few accessories — not together, mind you. Try the Gap printed calf hair belt ($29.95) over your favorite LBD or with your favorite jeans to add just a taste of this print to things you’re already used to wearing. The printed calf hair looks far more luxe than its price tag would have you believe, and if it’s still drawing too much attention for your liking, just let it leek out under a half-tucked shirt. That half-in, half-out look is trés French and a fashion editor go-to.

Available at Gap.

Report Tahoe2

Report Tahoe2

Not every girl thinks that she can pull off the menswear oxford a la Alexis or Zooey, but one way to temper the testosterone in such a masculine shape is wear something that’s shot with a super feminine pattern such as leopard. You’ll find it fits in with more girly staples like sundresses or high-waisted shorts — with tights for fall — more easily than a pair of plain leather ones. The Report Tahoe2 ($80) is flat out versatile. We can picture it with skinny jeans and a chambray if you’re a Madewell girl, cropped ankle pants and a blazer if you’re a card-carrying member of the cult of Jenna or with a romper if you’re one of the few girls that see Girls’ Hannah Horvath up as a fashion icon. Whatever your style, these flats are undoubtedly more comfortable than most of the shoes in your collection and we’re willing to bet much more versatile, too.

Available at Piperlime.

Coach Madison small wallet in ocelot print

Coach Madison small wallet in ocelot print

Coach under $100? That’s right, you can get something from the American leather-goods giant for less than a Benjamin that’s not a club-ready wristlet. While small in size, the Coach Madison small wallet ($78) will hold all your essentials. And thanks to the cheetah pattern, you’ll be able to find it in the depths of your purse (counter to the fact that cheetahs use their spots to blend in with their surroundings). Going along with the new Coach aesthetic, it’s got minimal branding, but retains all of the craftsmanship that the brand’s known for. Stash your cash and cards in style.

Available at Coach.

Free People Cheetah Flocked Millenium Skinny

Free People Cheetah Flocked Millennium Skinny

Another option for the cheetah fearing are the Free People cheetah flocked millennium skinny ($78). Take the print and make it a little more subdued, put it in a familiar silhouette and you can wear it just like you would with any pair of jeans. Try it with a white t-shirt if you’re just running errands (it’s something we could picture Gwen Stefani doing) or throw on a tailored blazer — on the shoulders only for some real fashion gravitas — for a preppy, polished look. The cropped length lets you wear it with just about any shoe and the flocked cheetah print adds enough visual interest so that folks won’t think you’re wearing black slacks. It’s one step up from the accessories, but still not full-on animal.

Available at Piperlime.

Images courtesy Gap, Piperlime, H&M, Coach and Cartier

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Author:Fashion Trends Daily Staff

Fashion Trends Daily Editors deliver the scoop on fashion, beauty, celebrity and runway trends.