Leopard print and denim? Helen Skelton proves there’s no chicer combination

Helen Skelton’s leopard print trousers and dark blue denim blouse have shown how chic this style pairing can be.

If you had to pick the first styling choice that comes to mind when you think of leopard print, it probably wouldn’t have been ‘denim’, but Helen Skelton has proved that this is such a chic combination. The leopard print trend is still going strong and many people will have a leopard print piece or two in their winter capsule wardrobe. In Helen’s case it’s a pair of wide leg leopard print trousers and we saw a glimpse of them when she shared a video montage of pictures from filming BBC Morning Live. The beautiful drape of the trouser legs suggests to us that they weren’t jeans, but either way looked so comfortable and stylish.

Wide leg silhouettes are easy to wear with any footwear thanks to their loose fit and the volume of them adds a bit of instant drama and structure to an outfit. Helen Skelton’s leopard print trousers were high-waisted and she tucked in her dark blue denim blouse. This is a clever tip if you’re styling wide leg trousers or jeans and want to accentuate your waist.

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As leopard print goes, these trousers were elegantly understated as the beige and black tones were quite muted. This makes them far simpler to style than a warm-toned leopard print can sometimes be and the contrast against Helen’s denim top was striking. Instead of a traditional button-up shirt, she went for a blouse with a feminine pussybow neckline.

She chose to leave the bow untied and draping downwards which made it a little less demure and more relaxed. The blouson sleeves were a lovely detail and the deep blue colour of the denim is one of our favourites when we want a smart-casual look. Helen is a big fan of indigo denim pieces - and leopard print - and putting them together like this made a winning outfit.

For a more subtle take on this combination you could wear a leopard print shirt or jumper with your go-to jeans. There are also so many different ways to style leopard print with denim that can be adapted to suit your signature style, whether it’s wearing a leopard print skirt instead of trousers like Helen’s with a denim top, styling your jeans with leopard print boots or even going all-out and wearing a leopard print coat with a denim jumpsuit. Lighter or darker denim washes would work just as well with this pattern too.

Helen Skelton completed her outfit for BBC Morning Live with a pair of caramel-toned court shoe heels which are one of her most-worn footwear styles for work. However, for a more low-key outing running errands or meeting up with friends and family we would swap them for white trainers or flat black boots to tie in with the leopard spots.

The broadcaster wore her hair up and added a pair of gold hoop earrings for a touch more glamour. It seems as though she has worn this outfit - or at least a very similar one - for another day on BBC Morning Live in November last year and on this occasion she left her hair down in loose waves. This combination of leopard print and denim is clearly one she’ll keep coming back to and we can see why!