I generally try not to do two consecutive posts on the same theme (say beauty or books), but my blogging schedule has been disrupted by 1) work and 2) weather that is so unseasonally warm that writing about anything autumnal seems entirely wrong. As a result, here I am with another style post and no autumn skincare edit in sight.

This is also the last of my leopard print posts; in case you haven’t seen, the previous instalments are here and here. As you’ve probably already detected, it’s not just about leopard this time. The shoes are snakeskin, the bag is crocodile, the leopard itself comes in three different versions. I was, in fact, going to wear a zebra print camisole with this look, but it did not arrive in time for the shoot.

There are a few points to make about this outfit. Although it isn’t exactly what I had in mind, I think it works well enough to prove that you can wear different animal prints together. You don’t have to, but you can. If you opt for two or three pieces (unlike me), it can even look quite tame – pardon the pun. I also claim that if you keep the colour scheme neutral (I’m thinking beige or a stylish tan), you can wear animal print head to toe and still look office-appropriate. If you don’t mind crazy, you can go all out in different colours (including neon!) and patterns and play with scale, too.

The second point is that an animal print slip skirt is a beautiful, elegant piece that I highly recommend. I have gotten a serious amount of wear out of my & Other Stories version, pairing it with everything from a black turtleneck to a silk camisole to a slouchy knit to a slogan t-shirt. If it wasn’t so hard to get, I would have happily bought the ridiculously popular Realisation Naomi skirt, because it looks amazing. In general, I think slip skirts are the new pleated skirts, I cannot get enough of them at the moment and they are more flattering (and wearable) than slip dresses.

Third, I have to mention the shoes. I hesitated before buying these ALDO stilettos, thinking that they are a bit too close to the sexy animal print stereotype. Maybe they are, but I wear them all the time: they work as an interesting alternative to nude pumps and go with many more things then you’d think. I also like that they attach securely to the foot, which makes walking in them much easier than it would be in classic pumps of similar height.

Have you succumbed and bought any animal print items? Or it’s a trend you’re happy to ignore?

Skirt by & Other Stories, top by Zara, knit by River Island, shoes by ALDO (all my own), bag by River Island (loaned for the shoot). Images Krõõt Tarkmeel, makeup Reet Härmat, hair Helen Heinroos Hair.