What's New Pussycat? Confessions of a Cheetah-holic PART ONE

No, not cheater. Cheetah! As in, the print!

Ok, true confession time here.  I knew I had a weakness for leopard print, but after raiding my closet and finding all this to photograph:

I thought to myself, "I might have a problem..."

Or... Maybe I don't?
Some might be surprised by my extreme fondness for this pattern, and I'd like to attribute that to the fact that I wear it regularly, but I wear it sparingly.

I thought maybe I'd begun my predilection for leopard print after I discovered my beloved Bettie Page.  But, as it turns out, I was into it before then.  I found this little gem:

It's me at 19-- donning my finest 90s clubwear.  Funny thing is, the outfit actually looks okay.  It's my haircut that's less than awesome.

Since I have years of experience under my leopard-printed-belt, I thought I'd share tips on how to wear it- and come across as fashionable and chic, as opposed to trashy and scary.

First off- an abridged history on the legendary leopard print:
Historically, in ancient times, royalty donned leopard real leopard fur capes, coats, sashes and crowns.  This was a display of heirarchy, status and wealth.

Remember Eddie Murphy's Prince Akeem from "Coming to America?"  Ha ha!
He wore leopard fur for the same reason; status and wealth.
Ahem. Back to the fashion-relevant:
So, World War II has just ended and world- renowned Parisian designer, Christian Dior debuts a collection featuring leopard print in chiffon (not fur). Women, tired of fabric rations from the war, embraced the look- a sign of an official return to glamorous fashion.  Can you blame them?

Leopard print and Hollywood- a timeless, glamorous love affair:
In the 1930s and 1940s, Hollywood's most prominent movie costume-designer "Adrian" began to include leopard print & fur in his designs for his most glamorous stars: Greta Garbo, Katherine Hepburn and Joan Crawford among them. What Hollywood did, American women did, the love-of-leopard-print-seed had been planted.

Rita Hayworth

In the 1940s and 1950s, Hollywood's celebrated costume designer Edith Head continued the Hollywood tradition of dressing her stars in sophistication and style through the use of leopard print, including: Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.

Audrey Hepburn

Elizabeth Taylor

The 1960s saw a huge re-surgence in leopard print popularity. You couldn't throw a shiny rock with out hitting a starlet wearing leopard print.  Just a few Hollywood stars that helped popularize the trend were:  Jayne Mansfield, Brigitte Bardot, Anne Margaret, and Catherine Deneuve.

Jayne Mansfield

Brigitte Bardot

Catherine Deneuve

Anne Margret

So the moral of this story is this- if you find a vague correlation between Retro Hollywood Glamour and Leopard Print, there is a reason; leopard print has been employed by Hollywood Fashion luminaries since the phrase "movie star" was practically invented, so it's no wonder!

I'm gonna end my history rant on a favorite, dear to my heart.
In the 1950s there was a subversive Pin Up Queen who made leopard print both sexy and scandalous. Have you ever heard her?  Her name was miss Bettie Page.

Among fetish shoes, seamed stockings and Frederick's of Hollywood lingerie, Miss Page was rather fond of donning the famed leopard print.  And she wore it well.  Old Hollywood aficionados, (like myself), as well as Rockabilly girls have been following suit ever since.

***Stay tuned for PART TWO- where I share fashion tips on how to wear leopard print that eschews "Ahhs" because you look so darn fabulous, versus "Eek!" (Because you look more like Peg Bundy.)