9 No-Regrets Leopard Pieces That Will Give Your Wardrobe The Right Amount of Kate Moss/Eartha Kitt-Inspired Glamour.
Animal print for fall? Groundbreaking. But be real; it's hard to find good pieces! So yes, this is service journalism. Also: Two things I bought because of 'Nobody Wants This' that are fab.
A quick note before we start: If you haven’t read the incredible multi-story package that Marie Claire just published about women (especially +40) and voting, I very much think it’s worth your time. MC partnered with the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion and YouGov to sample more than 1000 nationally representative, likely voters and it contains so many incredible insights. The package also covers six political races you should know about, how to talk to the Gen Z voter in your life, and a deep dive into the voting patterns of the largest voting bloc in the country: white women. (Spoiler alert: It’s not great.)*
Last thing, before we move on to our regularly scheduled programming. If you haven’t read this recent post from Sharon McMahon, otherwise known as America’s government teacher, you should. A compelling case for election reform, and yet another reason why I loathe oligarchs of all shapes and sizes, and don’t get me started on the issues of Citizens United.
[insert elevator music interlude here]
Moving on! My favorite new show—and yours, given the number of DMs I’ve received over the past few weeks!—Nobody Wants This is coming back for season two! Thank you, Netflix. I mean: Duh, it’s amazing, but also, phew. I have to say, of all the shows I’ve ever written about, nothing has connected with folks like NWT, and I’m so glad that you all adore it as much as I do.
If you’re in the mood for more content about the show, might I direct you to a really well done Marie Claire story on the show’s wardrobe? I loved that it felt realistic and grounded, but still inspired me to furtively search for Joanne/Kristen Bell’s perfect gray sweatshirt seen in the scene when she rescues the dog. You know what I’m talking about, right? Well, I bought it, like the fangirl I am. (It’s The Sweatshirt by Hey Gang in P.E. Grey if you were wondering. Other note: Hey Gang also collaborated with one my favorite spots in Marfa, El Cosmico, on a sweatshirt, if you’re into that kind of thing. I am.)
I also found myself buying the Casa Vega t-shirt Justine Lupe’s character Morgan wears on the show because a) I love Casa Vega like everyone else b) I’m a sucker for a baseball t-shirt and c) it’s really soft and thin and lovely. The shirt runs extremely long in the body, or at least for my body, so I’m probably going to take it to the dry-cleaner and ask them to hem it. Yes, I’m a wonderful combination of high maintenance and unskilled in the sewing department; what a joy!
In other news: LEOPARD IS HAVING A MOMENT AND I’M THRILLED.
Even better: There are a lot of amazing pieces on the market that are leopard or animal-print adjacent that are really well done, and I’m just having a field day.
You know I’m a sucker for the perfect leopard-print kitten slingbacks from Isabel Marant, and I’m not the only one. They’re basically sold out everywhere except for Marant’s website, and as the owner of a pair, I can assure you they’re both comfortable and dead sexy. (Also, they go with most of my wardrobe; see last week’s story for evidence.)
I also recently bought a pair of Jamie Haller loafers in leopard, and my god they’re maybe even better than my other ones? Is that possible? They’re just OUTRAGEOUSLY soft, the quality is a steal at twice the price, and I’m just destroyed by their beauty. 11/10 do not regret buying. Also, they’re a dream if you have high arches, as they’re so flexible, it’s bonkers. And if you don’t have high arches, you will still love them because they’re flawless.
Another item worth your consideration? The very Hitchcock heroine/Debbie Harry fabulous Cara Cara Karlie Trench in a really luxurious animal-print velvet. I bought one via Shopbop, which has now sold out of them, but there’s a range of sizes on Cara Cara’s website and on Revolve, where I don’t think the photography does this piece justice. IMHO, the trench runs snug; I bought a medium, and it was good, but a little fitted if I was planning on layering much underneath.
Because I am hyperfixated, I also might have picked up the J.Crew shrunken cashmere sweater in leopard, which is legitimately featherweight. It can be coordinated with a matching sweater shell, if you’re into that vibe. My cardi is a small, and she is, in fact, quite petite, but it’s fine because I’m planning on wearing it with my high-waisted leather skirt that I can’t shut up about. Also, you didn’t hear this from me, but there are a bunch of new-season pieces at Net-A-Porter that are 25% off, and 37 of them are animal print, of which the majority are leopard. Personally I would buy the Gianvito Rossi mary janes because GR makes some of the best fitting, chic, long-lasting shoes in the game. I also think the leopard Aquazzura mules are good too.
If you’re more of a blazer/short coat sort of person, then you might be intrigued by Zadig&Voltaire’s Violet Leopard Coat, which I keep thinking about? Or if you want a trad leopard situation, House of Harlow’s double-breasted mid-length leopard coat is phenom for the price point and is available on pre-order. I have a leopard coat from HoH that I got about seven years ago and it’s still perfect because the brand got the print so exactly right. Just saying. Oh and finally, if you’re a benevolent billionaire, please buy Toteme’s leopard coat, and then pull a Mackenzie Scott? That’s the only way to be.
Okay friends, that’s it for now. If you want to follow me on @hillarykerr, I’d love it. And if you have anything to say or ask (preferably nothing terribly mean), please drop me a note either via DM or in the comments below.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’m truly so glad you’re here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. (And if you have the time to like it, that would mean a lot to me!) All products mentioned are independently chosen, and some may be affiliate links. Your support is appreciated.
*I was shocked to learn that the majority white women have voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election (save for two) over the last 70 years. And the last time the majority of us voted for a Democratic presidential candidate? 1996, for Bill Clinton. Which is yet another reminder that we have so much work to do. And that one of the reasons we are dealing with the horrors around our (now reduced) reproductive rights is because of the way we voted in 2016. And I’m writing this as someone who didn’t even exercise my own right to vote until I was shockingly old, thanks to my privilege. So I’m not patting myself on the back here, just to be clear.
Oh and PS: If you troll the comments or are a jerk, I will delete/block you. I get enough horrors in my DMs, and I’m not allowing that toxic nonsense to happen here.
White (childless cat lady) woman here (who votes in Wisconsin! 💪🏼) thanking you for this letter. We need to do better.
I just want to say that I thoroughly love your Substack reads. Fashion recommendations are spot on, and your mix of other comments are interesting laced with a good dose of humour. Thanks for sharing!