I know that there is a small – but vocal! – group among the readers here who have been eagerly awaiting more leopard print. Lo and behold, here it is! I do, however, implore the leopardophobes to take a look as well: it is my firm belief that this particular dress is the exact opposite of what people expect a leopard print dress to be.

To summarise: it is not tight, it is not short, it is not sexy. It is pretty much the opposite of the dress I posted last time. The shape and the fabric make it extremely easy to wear and it suits most body types (it is shown on a pregnant woman on Zara UK web site). This is one of the most relaxed dresses I own and feels bohemian rather than sensual or glamorous. It is also rather versatile. It works as well with tan sandals and a straw bag as it does with ugly dad trainers and a hoodie. In my opinion, it also works for work.

As always, this of course depends – some people would never be able to wear animal print to the office, for others, the dress is simply too low-cut. We can set the latter problem aside for the moment, as you can of course pick a different leopard dress that satisfies your modesty requirements. The gist of my argument is that for work, I would go long and loose to avoid any unfortunate tacky references and add structure and formality with a classic blazer. I’ve chosen a rather tough flavour with my black jacket, Balenciaga shoes and leather bracelet, but you can go more mellow in a soft brown blazer and ballerinas or eccentric traditionalist in a tweed jacket and loafers. I would generally be careful with pairing leopard with very high heels, especially for work, because of the above mentioned tacky connotations. (On a separate note: in a more casual office, you can layer a thin rollneck underneath the dress.)

To me, the end result actually looks rather elegant and I’ve worn this exact look to the office several times. If you are still not convinced, I’ve got one more outfit to come, including the most refined-looking animal print item I own. Until then.

Dress and blazer by Zara, sunglasses by Celine, necklace by Tanel Veenre, bracelet by Kadri Kruus, shoes by Balenciaga (all my own). Makeup by Reet Härmat, hair by Helen Heinroos Hair, images by Krõõt Tarkmeel.