It was good enough for Bowie, Bolan and Jagger, so it’s good enough for you

When Johnny Weissmuller let out his trademark yell in Tarzan in 1932, wearing an off-the-shoulder, leopard-print wrestling singlet, did he know it would double as the anguished sound going through every man’s head when he contemplates wearing the pattern? He probably did not.

Leopard print is the most alpha wardrobe move available to you, aside from wrapping up in muddied army fatigues accessorised with nice comfy boxing gloves and a pair of Doc Martens. And are you ready to be that guy? For his debut spring/summer 2019 menswear collection, Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello featured a leopard-print shirt unbuttoned so far that it was lost somewhere in model Lennon Gallagher’s chest (son of Liam: see, alpha) worn with a drunkenly tied approximation of a pussy bow. It was very, very cool and an indirect link to menswear’s last great leopard-print blowout: hair metal.

Heavy metal came into being at a time when ozone-depleting levels of hairspray and spandex propped up the mulleted likes of Jon Bon Jovi and Axl Rose. It was cartoonisly macho, but also referenced gender-questioners such as Marc Bolan, Mick Jagger and Bowie. Similarly, Vaccarello’s 2019 menswear echoes the genderquake taking place elsewhere in culture.

How to wear: all white | Priya Elan Read more

Off the catwalk, though, leopard print comes with its own somewhat different baggage. You could write a lengthy piece on how it semaphores a whole dollop of socio-economic subtext and emotional landscapes, be it “bored housewife letting rip” (Mrs Robinson) or “lairy TV ladettes” (Dorian from Birds Of A Feather, EastEnders’ Kat Slater).

But let us focus instead on how to wear leopard print now. Saint Laurent may have been pushing the Cool Rock Guy vibe but other labels, including Celine, Marni and Dior, wore their leopardy items (long jackets, waistcoats) layered with other items: a nicer, safer option.

Get it right, and you’re hedging your bets a bit, being understated while at the same time retaining an edge. It’s important to keep it confined to your top half or details. Forget leopard-print trousers unless you want to hear passersby yodel like Tarzan.