I don’t see why leopard wouldn’t be flattering, and the advice to keep another coat option is excellent! The only thing I would add is to not spend too much, because it’s going to be spice as opposed to bread and butter, if that makes sense.

Posing the question to everyone tomorrow.

First, the good news: swing coats flatter everyone (if they are not too big and end at the right length for your build.) Leopard is classic, always conveying a slightly eccentric, quirky attitude. Though some season it’s especially in, it’s never really “out”.

Now the bad news: You will not look like her. Even if you too were very tall, had legs for miles and hair the same colour, you will not look like her. But short blondes can wear leopard. You DO have to keep the clothes and shoes simple or risk looking like a bag lady.h
So try on your leopard and if you like it, buy it. But make it your own. Perhaps with red gloves.

Finally, make sure you have another winter coat (one from past years is fine). You can tire of wearing an animal print. When I had a leopard swing coat it was such fun to wear, but not every day.

But on the negative side –
(1) It is rather thick and furry faux leopard skin (OTOH, thick = warm - good)
(2) Will leopard skin be as OUT next year as it is in this winter?
(3) I think that I look best in slim, or at least waist-cinching attire, but this coat is……. quite a wide swing coat hitting at the upper thigh!!! It is the ultimate triangle shape! How can I possibly want it or think it will look good on me?
(4) The girl I saw was very tall, whereas I am not. She looked good because of her endless legs.
(5) The girl I saw was wearing black flat (yeay!) ankle boots and what looked like either black leggings or thick black tights. No other clothing was visible. It looked good on her, but she had very dark hair and black footwear. Whatever would I myself be able to wear it with? I have been unable to think of other ways to wear it, and that seems terribly limiting.

Is this insanity not another example of my misquidedly being psychologically swayed by current fads? Would I think that girl stylish if she were wearing that some other time, when triangle-shaped swing coats were not in fashion? Somehow I doubt it. But there it is: to me, now, she looked fabulously stylish and I want to copy her look. You can see that I need help, can’t you?

In my defence, I should perhaps mention that I have not actually tried on the coat yet, and this season I have rejected as unflattering to me several trends (fads, I’d say) deemed essential for this season on another excellent blog I read. So it might be that the moment I try on said coat the full horror of the bulky faux fur triangle (possibly 9 months pregnant?) swing coat will hit me, but what I can’t understand is — why hasn’t it hit me already, given that I am fully aware of the tendency to be swayed by current fashions? I know it intellectually but I don’t yet FEEL it, if tyou know what I mean? Eek!

If the dark-wash, knee length denim pencil skirt I found last year for £1 in Children’s Society (a charity shop here in the UK), is there a huge need to go find this year’s for £100? For a tiny change in detail of how the stitching falls? So long as the denim pencil is still a flattering choice and still reasonably popular, it doesn’t make sense to me.

But again–there are always several silhouettes going on, and you should only pick the current ones that look right for you. Sometimes, that means you pass on those that don’t suit.

(And I am the Queen of Charity Shops in my circle of friends, family and colleagues…)

I never get why people don’t understand the difference between a fad (here today, gone by dinner), and a trend (a general direction over a period of time).

I found it interesting at the thrift store this week, mainly shopping in the fabric section. I found that the patterns were all marked with the year! I bought one marked 1966 - it is very cute and current looking.

Mom - can you find a link to a picture?

The silhouette is what you should take most notice of to stay in touch with the times.