Well spotted

… you must tell me, baby how your
Head feels under somethin’ like that
Under your brand new leopard-skin pill-box hat

RICHARD LUTZ connects the dots

Yes, that’s a Dylan song and, yes, that’s a leopard and its spots.

But why is it you see them- the spots, that is- all over town?

From a blouse:


To a pair of carefully placed gloves:

To a chair:

To candles, for godsakes:

They’re even deeply embedded in history. Here they’re a must have accessory for the Bronze Age look modelled by a well-fit Greek hunter (I especially like the hat…):

The pattern also adorns a screen goddess back when we all lived in black and white:


And lurching back to Planet 2023, it’s an eye catching cover for a phone as you discover your milliner doesn’t stock leopard-skin:

So, what is it about the pattern? I don’t get it. When deeply burrowing into the bowels of Wikipedia, I see the loaded question: ‘Is leopard skin chic or tacky?’ According to the AI produced answer, the design is ‘definitely a statement piece’ and has been a classic look for a long time.

Maybe the AI muppets are right about its longevity; just ask the flunkie who gets that Greek hero ready for a bit of wild boar hunting on a day out with Achilles.

The spots, technically called rosettes, can be found on eels, flowers, moths and even the intriguingly named Knabstropper horse breed. The leopard, it seems, is spotted to help with camouflage in high grass which is ironic as the pattern actually stands out on a busy street rather than hides. I mean, who could miss this gem?

Getting back to the chic/tacky issue, fashion mags recently showed Princess Kate, the future Queen to you and me, in a simple but tasteful green leopard skin number. It’s knocked off by a firm overseen by Samantha Cameron.

Y’know, the wife of the newly ennobled British Foreign secretary, late of both Downing Street and the shabby investment company Greensill that got a tad greedy a couple of years ago over the covid billions swirling around. Chic? Tacky? Take your pick.

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12 Comments

  1. Sandy Pike
    27 November 2023 at 7:59 am

    ❤️

    Reply
  2. Martin McCrindle
    27 November 2023 at 8:47 am

    The answer is…?

    Particularly liked the VW

    Reply
  3. Alan Holland
    27 November 2023 at 9:35 am

    I think chic.
    The pattern goes in and out of fashion but a modest amount teamed with black to emphasise the dark rosettes, it’s a winner.
    Without that contrast, less so. Viz. The seat.
    I was lucky enough to have a visit from you both last week and noticed Jane’s lovely leopard print hat. Inspiration for this piece, Richard? You know it’s chic then😏

    Reply
  4. Liz Barton
    27 November 2023 at 10:16 am

    Love them leopard spots

    Reply
  5. The Other Gordon Brown
    27 November 2023 at 12:22 pm

    “…it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine…”

    Reply
  6. Anne Robinson
    27 November 2023 at 6:22 pm

    “spot on”! They seem to come out more this time of year with tiger stripes apparently losing to the leopard spots.

    Reply
  7. MG on the leapard phone
    27 November 2023 at 6:47 pm

    I’m famous

    Reply
  8. Will Travel
    28 November 2023 at 7:08 am

    And speaking of AI:

    It seems Sports Illustrated is written by robots

    https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-writers

    Reply
  9. Angela T from Maidens
    28 November 2023 at 9:24 pm

    Sadly not my cup of tea but was definately my mother’s !

    Reply
  10. Frankie Gee
    29 November 2023 at 8:22 am

    It’s a well known fact that you can’t walk 11 minutes through Glasgow without seeing leopard skin

    Reply
  11. Jill S from Brooklyn
    21 December 2023 at 4:54 pm

    https://alexandracancrophotography.pixieset.com/jillshulman/

    Sent from my iPhone
    Sorry I did not make it into leopard article.

    Reply

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