For a Noah’s Ark themed party at Carnevale 2025, I looked around at what costumes I already had that I could use and found Leonard’s leopard-print silk breeches and waistcoat.
Perfect base for an 18th-century-ish leopard! I found a faux-fur vest on eBay and carefully chopped it up to make a tail, mitts for front paws, spats for hind paws, and ears.
I made the front paws so I could easily hold a wine glass and use a fork, since dinner was served at the party. The spats fit over my black renaissance shoes that I was wearing with several other outfits. I added copper fake nails to both for claws.
I got two identical red wigs and cut up one to make side rolls (buckles) and to extend the front wigline into a widow’s peak and also extend the sideburns to better cover my own purple hair. I tied the long hair back in a ponytail and sewed the ears on top of the wig.
Because these breeches don’t have any pockets, I needed a purse. So I got a leopard stuffed animal on eBay, gutted it, added a pouch inside, and sewed on a handle. It’s just big enough for my phone, key, and lipstick!
I got some leopard face decals on AliExpress and leopard-print/tortoiseshell cat-eye glasses on Zenni Optical with my prescription so I didn’t need to wear contact lenses that night.
