Madewell dress (old, similar here), J.Crew turtleneck (on sale!), Amazon socks, J.Crew loafers via Poshmark (similar here)
When I was in middle school, I went through the classic adolescent emo phase where I only wore black and listened to screamo and emo music (Christian screamo was my favorite genre as I often blasted Underoath between classes). While I gave up all of my colorful tops and accessories, I still combined as many black and gray textures and fabrics as I could in all of my outfits (imagine how many pairs of knee-high black combat boots I styled with my school uniform all throughout middle and high school!). Once I realized I much prefer bright colors and pastels to dark neutrals, I decreased the number of dark-hued lace, cotton, and satins in my wardrobe. You’ll notice almost, if not all of my outfits over the past several years incorporate at least one non-neutral shade; however, this leopard-focused look is my exception to that preference! I still have the black accessories I would have loved in my emo years, but the pairing of those pieces with the leopard wrap dress is girly in a darker way. I mentioned in my previous outfit post (read it here) how I’m increasingly inspired by layering pieces the way Carla Rockmore, @lizzie.mov, and Kate of @readwritethrift do and although I didn’t go for a fully layered look in this leopard outfit, I think the addition of one underlay and socks (my new and current favorite accessory—who knew??) bring the outfit to a different level! I started with a tissue-thin black turtleneck to stay warm and toasty in my freezing cold office and wore my favorite ever leopard wrap dress from Madewell on top. I knew I wanted to wear my shiny black J.Crew loafers I purchased brand new for $50 on Poshmark, but I loved them even more with my black frilly socks worn underneath! The outfit isn’t as dark as younger, emo me would’ve worn, but it’s still much darker than my current looks and I love every bit of it!
