In my attitudinal warming towards leopard print in the last year or so I’ve noticed that most of the spotty little items I’ve acquired have felt largely sassy and not at that casual as far as clothing goes. The 50s styles I prefer, admittedly, are simply more dressy, and I don’t lean into the more relaxed rockabilly styles that do read as more laid-back to the styled eye.
Because of that, it was nice to come across this Hell Bunny Panthera dress, as it’s a gorgeous example of leopard print conducted in a truly casual way. That makes it a perfect piece for ladies who find sporting spots a bit too intimidating and who just want a dress that’s easy to wear which doesn’t require them to sport an attitude to go along with it–although the attitude is optional, should you want to partake in it.

Dress: Panthera 50s dress C/O Hell Bunny
Cardigan: Dark Green Urban CoCo cardigan from Amazon
Bangle: Charcoal bangle by Splendette
Belt: Dark Green circles trim belt by New Look
Shoes: Pascha pumps from Dorothy Perkins

It’s the contrasting black collar on this sleeveless dress that makes this piece feel more casual to me, despite the fact that a collar typically adds formality to a piece. It’s not a super structured collar and it’s combined with a modest neckline, so that balances out the sensuality and sassiness that people often associate with leopard print. The full skirt, with pockets, also gives off a feeling of ease where a wiggle skirt will often attract attention, making this dress an easy piece to throw on with a pair of sunglasses on a summer day, or to layer up with a cardigan, tights and boots during the depths of winter. Adding a pop of colour by utilising an unexpected shade, like the forest green I chose for this styling, will compliment your outfit and subvert the norms of reaching for red or hot pink to pair with leopard print, opening up this dress’s versatility further.

I asked for this piece in a 2XL/UK 18 because I noticed my size XL/16 Hell Bunny pieces were starting to feel too tight in the bust for comfort a lot of the time. As such, it’s a wonderful, comfortable fit. The waist flat measures 36 inches with stretch to 39 inches, while the bust flat measures 43 inches with stretch to 47. The dress closes with a back zipper and the skirt is 27 inches long.

The Panthera 50s dress comes in sizes XS-4XL and discount code AMYMAY20!% will get you 20% off all orders at Hellbunny.com. This Panthera leopard print is also available as a circle skirt and peasant top (both reviewed here,) as well as a wiggle skirt, capri pants, and a mini dress.