5 Ways to Style Leopard Print Shorts

This first outfit features my black blazer from COS stores. It’s the same one I used for my post “5 Ways to Style a Black Blazer for Spring” – you can read it here. I layered it over a black cropped cami with lace inserts and lace bralette – both are a few years old and from Urban Outfitters. The cropped cami works since the shorts sit near my natural waist, otherwise I’d have too much mid-section exposure (which would not be pretty). I paired my studded black patent leather thong sandals with this look. I found these a couple of seasons ago from YOOX – they have a great Valentino RockStud-look. I really love this cool, slightly dressed-up vibe. I think it came together well and is definitely something I’d wear out at night.

The next look is one of my favorites – a combination of denim and leopard print. I really wanted a loose, easy look so I pulled out my oversized chambray-look shirt. Although it’s not a true denim (it’s actually Lyocell), it still has a denim look. I love the soft drape of the shirt combined with the shorts. The shirt is from Zara and it’s a few seasons old – I wear it to death all year long. I recently featured it in a blog post on bike shorts that you can check out here. And I love how my everyday flat tan sandals look with the outfit – I’ve been wearing these all summer. I love them so much that I gave them their own blog post. This outfit combines alot of my favorite pieces from my closet and is the kind of thing I wear every day. I’m in love…

I really wanted to include a pool-side summer look, so for the third outfit I layered a black bikini top under a mesh sweater. I love how it looks with the leopard print shorts. The bikini is a recent purchase for this summer from Carmen Marc Valvo. It has a great metal O-ring at the center and is extremely flattering. The mesh sweater from H&M is over 10 years old, but it never goes out of style! I threw on my favorite furry sandals (check out my blog post raving about these beauties) and added my shell anklet. Believe it or not, I even have a recent post about shell jewelry. And it was that easy – the pool to cocktail vibe was a success. I’m obsessed with how great this outfit turned out.

I knew I wanted a super causal vibe for this next look and incorporating some neon seemed like the perfect way to get there. I’m a kid at heart and have always loved neon. I was wearing it in the 80’s in middle school and it’s always stuck with me. And I adore how it pops with the neutral colors of the leopard print. I don’t wear a ton of color but I happen to have this neon bralette from Pink that looks cool when it’s layered under a semi-sheer linen tee. It’s just the right amount of color to give it a fun, summer feel. I added my chunky sneakers for which I have an unnatural obsession with. I love all things sneaker and of course wrote a blog post about all the best sneakers for the Spring season (check it out here). This summer outfit is definitely a win – in fact, I wore it for the rest of the day after I took these pics!

For the final look I decided to go for something a little more challenging – print mixing. I love mixing prints but it can go from great to garish in the blink of an eye. I decided to keep it simple and paired a black and white polka dot blouse with the leopard print. Since they are both neutrals, I think they work. It’s definitely a sophisticated vibe but I really love how it turned out. I have a cool pair of ankle-tie sandals that worked great with this look. They’ve been in my closet for years and whenever I pull them out they still look so modern. I’m really psyched with how this outfit looks – I’d wear this out to dinner or a cocktail party, it just feels tres chic!