Tamara Mellon ‘Heaven’ leopard print pumps, $650

I don’t know about you, but my shoe shelves wouldn’t feel complete without at least one pair of leopard print pumps. In fact, right now I have no less than three pairs, two of which are almost identical: I’d normally advise against that kind of duplication, but the fact is, when there’s a style of shoe you know you wear constantly, and you happen to find a pair that are a perfect example of that style… well, it can be hard to resist the temptation to buy them “just in case” your existing pairs get damaged, or wear out, and you can’t find a replacement. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself, anyway.

These Tamara Mellon ‘Heaven’ pumps are far too expensive to be a “just in case” purchase for me, but they are a nice example of the leopard-print look. This is a print I only ever wear on accessories; in addition to the aforementioned shoes, I also have leopard print scarves and gloves, but I don’t have any animal print clothing, and although I occasionally find myself hankering after a leopard print coat (I love them, but don’t think I’d be able to pull one off), I probably never will. Animal print can definitely be tricky to wear when it’s used on a large area, but on shoes, it’s just perfect, with exactly the right amount of pizazz to make them head-turning, without being tacky.

How to save leopard print shoes?

As with the polka dot shoes I featured yesterday, the fact that the colours used in this print are fairly neutral – blacks, browns and beige – makes them easier to style than you might expect. They’d look great with bright jewel tones like sapphire or emerald, but I also really like wearing my leopard print shoes with jeans, to dress them up a little:

What to Wear With Leopard Print Shoes

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