Pippa Middleton’s leopard print top, skinny jeans and gold ballet flats was a surprisingly wearable combination that has us excited for autumn

Pippa Middleton’s leopard print top, skinny jeans and gold ballet flats was a surprisingly wearable combination she wore back in 2011.

With the change in seasons on the way we will soon be putting together our autumn capsule wardrobe and when the weather gets cooler, shirts will quickly become our new staple. They go beautifully with jeans and trousers for a smart-casual feel and you don’t have to stick to white or black shirts. Whilst the leopard print trend might sound very bold, it doesn’t have to be and leopard print is actually one of the most wearable prints there is. Most leopard print items are very neutral in colour which makes them easier to style and back in 2011 Pippa Middleton dipped her toe into this trend in a way we still take inspiration from to this day.

For a day in London in September 2011 Pippa opted for a beautiful shirt in this pattern and a pair of her favourite streamlined blue jeans. The shirt had all the classic details we’d expect, including long sleeves ending in cuffs, buttons running up the front and a collar.

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However, the collar wasn’t quite the smart, pointed shape we often see on shirts, but was tied at the front in a bow. This gave Pippa’s leopard print shirt more of a feminine feel to it, without detracting from the timelessness of the design. The shirt’s simple silhouette balanced out the boldness of the leopard print and the more sheer fabric slightly too.

It looked as though the Princess of Wales’s sister could have layered her blouse over a black cami top which is a useful tip if you want to wear more sheer items from your everyday wardrobe to work. Either way, the pattern was the star of the show and was a dark, more subtle take on leopard print that incorporated black, chocolate brown and beige tones.

Brown-toned leopard print is something that’s surprisingly easy to style and Woman&Home’s Digital Fashion Editor Caroline Parr believes the leopard print trend isn’t going anywhere.

"Leopard print has been a huge trend so far this year, with jeans playing a starring role. But as we head towards autumn, more printed pieces like shirts and shoes are popping up everywhere," she says. "If you're not normally an animal print fan, the trick is to treat leopard like a neutral. The brown tones work really well with red, and will always make blue denim pop."

This is especially great news if you’ve always been tempted to try more leopard print and have already found the best jeans for your body type that you love and wear on repeat. Pippa and her sister Kate are both fans of mid-blue jeans with a streamlined shape to them and Pippa wore a pair of blue jeans on this September day in 2011.

They were a lovely colour contrast with her shirt and the darker shade of blue meant these naturally seemed a little smarter than a light wash pair. Mirroring Caroline’s advice, Pippa treated her top as a neutral piece and her brown bag tied in with the pattern wonderfully. If anything, her gold ballet flats were the most statement part of her outfit.

The flat design was practical for a busy day and the warm undertones of the gold echoed those of her top, ensuring the metallic shade wasn’t too much. Styled with a pair of wraparound dark sunglasses, this outfit was a stunner from Pippa and each item could easily be mixed and matched with other pieces, making them very versatile.