I love leopard shoes, I really do.  In fact, I have a pair that is over ten years old and show no signs of expiring anytime soon.  Therefore, when a reader asked for tips on how to wear a pair of leopard print ballerina flats I was happy to oblige.  Small bits of leopard in an outfit is a great way to jazz up an outfit, plus, leopard never really goes out of style.  Hence the reason why I am still able to wear my decade old pair.  In today’s Accessorized 5 Ways I am giving my tips on how to get the most out of pair of leopard flats.

Why leopard print flats are so versatile

LeopardI love this quote because, in a lot of ways, it is true.  Leopard is a print that can be treated like a solid, or a novelty basic, as I like to call it.  You can get a ton of mileage out of them while adding some excitement to your outfit.  You don’t have to limit the colors you wear with your shoes to the shades found in your leopard prints and you can practically treat them like solid tan shoes.  However, you still have to be careful.  While a leopard print can act similarly to a neutral they do make a bit of a statement.  In order to balance out an outfit when wearing leopard, it is wise to not have too many other focal points or other novelty accessories in the look.  But what you can do, however, is wear solid colors with leopard shoes.  Not everyone knows this.

Below are five looks that have been accessorized using these leopard print flats from Nordstrom.  What you will see is that you can not only take leopard from super casual to more conservative but that there are plenty of interesting ways to wear them to guarantee that they will get plenty of use.

Outfit #1- To jazz up a basic dress in any solid color

This outfit illustrates my point that you don’t have to limit leopard print shoes only to the colors found in the print, you can wear them with any solid colored dress.  Here, I love the way the emerald green Modcloth dress looks with these shoes.  With the leopard flats being the novelty focal point I did keep everything else simple, yet interesting. The outfit is finished with a pair of gold earrings from Max & Chloe and brown handbag.  Leopard flats can be a fun way to create a new look with a basic dress you have been trying to freshen up.

Outfit #2- With leggings and a tunic

Before you permanently commit your feet to boots for the winter, try a pair of ballerina flats during the transitional months with a basic tunic and leggings.  Here, this monochromatic grey look of a Boden tunic and J. Crew leggings gets a pop of fun with these leopard print flats.  Lastly, the outfit is finished with a pair of red stud earrings and metallic handbag.  Picture this outfit without the novelty flats and with black ones, instead.  The outfit would be fine but it certainly wouldn’t be as interesting.  Often, a little pop goes a long way.

Outfit #3- With jeans and a basic top

Speaking of a little going a long way, here you have a white t-shirt and pair of jeans.  Nothing spruces up an outfit so basic than a pair of novelty shoes.  This is always my little secret (not that it is an earth shattering secret) to make my clean, basic outfits more exciting.  I add a pop pair of shoes.  Lastly, the purple blazer was added to show, again, that you don’t have to keep your outfits neutral to embrace leopard.  However, what I did to for jewelry and a handbag was I added a simpler gold necklace from Bauble Bar and a basic navy bag.  Anything too novelty seemed too busy and distracting.  Pop is good but you have to know where to draw the line.

Outfit #4- To pep up a suit

One of the key dressing points for all my corporate clients is to style them in clean, basic suits with pops of novelty accents.  Very few of these clients own black shoes.  A small touch, like a leopard pair of flats, can make the most classic of suits look more interesting while not taking away from the professionalism of the outfit.  Here, this navy Reiss suit is made more interesting with these flats, a tan tank, gold novelty necklace and tan handbag.

Outfit #5- Before and after the gym

When I would go to yoga my husband would call me a yoga princess in my cropped yoga pants and sparkly gold ballerina flats.  I was going to be barefoot for class anyway and I liked the way my novelty shoes added something to my super casual workout  ensemble.

If you are someone who runs around in your yoga pants all day or who likes to do errands, or meet up with friends, before or after the gym or yoga, a pair of novelty ballerina flats, like this leopard pair, can add something to the outfit so it comes across as less gym rat and more polished fitness gal.  If sneakers are required for your workout you can always throw them in your bag and change into them.  It’s not good to wear your gym shoes on the street anyway.  Here, this all Athleta workout look, consisting of a zip up hoodie, support tank and cropped pants gets a leg up with these flats.  Plus, you can easily add some simple jewelry if you want to take the look farther with a bracelet and earrings like I am featuring.  Lastly, a good everyday bag from LeSportsac in plum is perfect for the gym and street.

Shop for leopard print flats

There are leopard print flats out there at all price points.  Check out these styles from around the web.  And be sure to check out the last pair that were added more as a joke.  Talk about taking the meaning of “leopard flats” a bit too seriously.