Derived from the aesthetic laws of the cheetah
Dior blazers, t-shirts and scarves
Dior Bois de rose series ear bone clips
Dior Gel Lasting Cushion Foundation MITZAH Limited Edition 0N
Dior Gel Persistent Air Cushion Powder MITZAH Limited Edition (Light Off-white)
Dior's stunning eyeshadow MITZAH limited edition
Dior Vivid Blue Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #253 Satin
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Seshat, the goddess of wisdom and book archives, was one of the first recorded women to wear a "leopard print"; In the Eastern mythology "Classic of Mountains and Seas", the goddess Xi Wang Mu standing on the top of the snow-capped mountain is depicted as "leopard tail, tiger tooth and good roar". Thanks to the example of the ancient gods, leopard print was closely associated with power, status and honor from the beginning.
When supermodel Elizabeth Threatt became the focus of Harper Street in a Traina-Norell coat, when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy stepped out of the Lincoln in an Oleg Cassini coat, when "Warhol Factory Girl" Edie Sedgwick appeared in Bob Dylan lyrics, when former British Prime Minister Theresa May Close-ups of pointed heels made headlines in The Sun, and leopard prints were involved in and witnessed the sensational moments of these avant-garde women.
Angel Chen Jacquard tunic
Ms Min stand up collar shirt, waist band
Ganni trousers
Dries Van Noten belt
Dior fisherman's hat, silk scarf
Dior Bois de rose series ear bone clips, rings
Dior Vivid Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #999 Velvet
Fashion style is a choice, and more importantly, having the right to choose style. Before the 30s of the 20th century, leopard print clothing, mostly hand-made rare furs, was popular in the elite and powerful circles. The era of industrial production has arrived, meeting the fashion needs of more women. Influenced by Art Nouveau, animal motifs tended to be stylized. At that time, Lanvin had already printed leopard print on her blended crepe dress. Unlike other natural or faux furs, Dior's leopard fur is presented in prints. The design was included in the "New Look" collection, which debuted in 1947, marking the beginning of the leopard print truly entering the mainstream market.
Ganni leopard print coat
Ms Min Chinese folded shirt and crossover waistband
Celine jeans
Mame Kurogouchi flip-flops
Dior leopard fisherman hat
Dries Van Noten belt
Dior Vivid Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #999 Velvet
Fashion critic Alexander Fury calls leopard print "the theme of Dior's fashion house". Christian Dior's muse, Mitzah Bricard, is a leopard lover. Under the lens of star photographers Cecil Beaton, Louise Dahl-Wolfe and others, her eyes either fall beyond the photograph or turn to the job at hand – she is also the director of Dior's hat-making workshop.
She is elusive, yet elegant. Little is known about Bricard's early years, and even when and for what reason she changed the name "Mitzah" is unknown. "She hardly goes to the studio in the morning and always wears clothes with rope chains, pearl and leopard prints." Fury describes, "She wore a scarf around her wrist to hide her scars. Her famous quote is: "When a man wants to send you flowers, you have to say, your florist is Cartier." 」
Stella McCartney jumpsuit
Mame Kurogouchi flip-flops
Ms Min crossover waistband
Dries Van Noten belt
Dior scarf
Dior Bois de rose series ear bone clips
Dior Vivid Blue Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #253 Satin
Mr. Dior once said in his autobiography that Bricard was "only for grace." Her vision and judgment also provided Mr. Dior with many useful advice. Elegance and leopard print, together with the leopard print, are infused with Dior's soul.
In The Second Sex (1949), de Beauvoir wrote that fashion made women prey for men. Leopard print challenges this stereotype. In a sense, the leopard print represents a brave matriarchal clan spirit. A woman who fights through difficulties in the metropolis, either for a career or for fame and fortune, and loves the female leopard who bears the dual responsibility of feeding and hunting in the jungle. Choosing a woman with leopard print can be not sweet, or even as "beautiful" as the secular definition. They are not prey, but natural hunters – they show themselves in order to achieve themselves.
Samuel Gui Yang Chinese stand-up jacket
Ms Min stacked shirt and crossover waistband
Balmain pencil skirt
Roger Vivier platform heels
Dries Van Noten belt
Dior Vivid Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #999 Velvet
This also explains why in the history of modern fashion, leopard print has been popular several times, but it has never been "cold". From Hubert de Givenchy to Marc Jacobs to Gianni Versace, almost all legendary fashion designers have loved this challenging element – there is no shortage of flattering "kitten" women in the fashion world, but it is often the powerful "cougar women" who really set off the ideological change. It is an honor for designers to have them control the fashion.
AMI coat
Ms Min Chinese stand up collar shirt
M Essential skirt
Roger Vivier platform heels
Dries Van Noten belt
Dior Vivid Blue Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #253 Satin
The secret to evergreen invincibility is controversy. If a leopard print can send you to heaven, it can take you to hell, and the people who embrace it are proportional to those who hate it. People have such a strong reaction to leopard prints, starting in the 50s of the 20th century. When the American lingerie brand Vanity Fair began selling leopard print lingerie, leopard print broke away from haute couture and became a symbol of sexy boudoir. In American soap operas, the "bad girl" from the bottom wears a provocative leopard print tights and walks around nightclubs. The leopard print became a sign of bad taste.
Even so, "sexy" as a weapon, a defense, a letter of recommendation, can effectively express the inner appeal to the world. The position represented by the leopard print remains clear. It can switch between very different directions precisely because fashion does not limit its interpretation.
Ganni top
Ms Min stand up collar shirt
Mame Kurogouchi skirt, clip-on slippers and belt
Dries Van Noten belt
Dior scarf
Dior Bois de rose series ear bone clips, rings
Dior Vivid Blue Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #253 Satin
The conqueror is not destined to be liked by everyone. Even if the leopard print can ruin the image of a lady if you don't care, it is so powerful that you can't ignore it, whether you scoff at it or have a soft spot. Therefore, what matters is not how much leopard print adds color to a woman's appearance, but the courage and determination of women to "want to be seen" when they put on leopard print.
Balmain pencil skirt
Roger Vivier platform heels
Today, leopard print has extended to the world of makeup. In the campaign for Dior Mitzah's limited edition makeup collection, Anya Taylor-Joy, the brand's global fashion and makeup brand ambassador, challenges the leopard print look to reinterpret the contemporary leopard muse with an unimitable unconventional and inherently anti-bone style.
Dior Vivid Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #999 Velvet
"Since the early days, this animal print has been a great addition to Dior's runways." Peter Philips, creative and image director at Dior Makeup, sees the limited collection as a tribute to Bricard. The packaging features leopard print, a brown hue that is also used in eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks, in shades of rose, glitter, fuchsia and brick red. The brand's makeup classic, the 999 velvet lipstick, is also included in the collection, where the leopard print is an expression of elegance.
Dior top, fisherman's hat
Dior Bois de rose series rings
Dior Gel Lasting Cushion Foundation MITZAH Limited Edition 0N
Dior Gel Persistent Air Cushion Powder MITZAH Limited Edition (Light Off-white)
Dior's stunning eyeshadow MITZAH limited edition
Dior Vivid Gold Lipstick MITZAH Limited Edition #999 Velvet
The woman in the leopard-print robe throws away the restraint, subtlety and timidity, and interprets the domineering elegance in the law of survival of the law of the jungle. It's not so much that leopard print is classic and timeless, but that feminine power is timeless in any era.