Leopard Lace Bodysuit: How to Wear Sheer Leopard After Dark

A leopard lace bodysuit is the easiest way to wear animal print at night: the pattern is worked into sheer stretch lace, so it reads as texture first and print second. Alex Perry’s Fall Winter 2026 leopard lace comes in brown and black across bodysuits, dresses, skirts and a column gown, all in a polyamide and elastane lace that moves with the body. Layer it over the right base and under sharp tailoring, and the same bodysuit covers a Tuesday dinner and a black-tie party.

What is a leopard lace bodysuit?

It is a close-fitting bodysuit in lace whose openwork pattern traces leopard spots, instead of a leopard print stamped onto a solid fabric. The difference shows up close. Printed leopard sits flat. Lace leopard has depth, because the pattern is built into the lace itself and skin shows through the openwork. The Alex Perry version is 90% polyamide and 10% elastane, sheer and unlined, so it stretches to fit rather than relying on corsetry like the label’s leather and wool pieces.

Three bodysuit shapes carry the print this season:

• Long Sleeve Bodysuit in Leopard Lace, Black and Long Sleeve Bodysuit in Leopard Lace, Brown: crew neckline, long sleeves. The most useful of the three, because the sleeves make it a top you can wear under a jacket all evening.
• Scoop Singlet Bodysuit in Leopard Lace, Brown: a low scoop neckline and bare arms. The one for skirts.
• Bikini Bodysuit in Leopard Lace, Brown: a low neckline and the briefest cut. It works best as a layer under something else.

How do you wear sheer, unlined lace?

Decide what goes underneath first, because it changes the whole look. Unlined lace shows exactly what you put under it.

• Matched base. A bralette and briefs in the darkest tone of the lace: chocolate under brown, black under black. The lace then reads as one surface and the pattern does the work.
• Skin-tone base. A base close to your skin tone gives the most sheer effect. Keep this for evening and for rooms where the effect is the point.
• Coverage at the bust. Under the black long sleeve bodysuit, the Cupped Bodysuit in Stretch Mesh, Black adds cupped panels at the bust while keeping the arms and torso sheer.

Then decide what goes over it. Under tailoring, the long sleeve bodysuit replaces a shirt: wear it with the Double Breasted Fitted Blazer in Wool Suiting, Black buttoned, so only the crew neck and the lace cuffs show, then open the jacket after dinner. Over tailoring is the more fashion-forward move. Put the Strapless Longline Corset Top in Wool Suiting, Black on top of the black long sleeve bodysuit, and the lace becomes sleeves and a high neck for a strapless corset. The wool suiting edit is in our guide to evening suiting and the strapless corset top.

Brown vs black leopard

Brown is the classic leopard: warmer, more obviously animal, and easier to wear in daylight. It pairs with camel, cream, chocolate and dijon, and with gold jewellery. Black is the tonal version, quieter from across the room and closer to classic black lace, which makes it the safer pick for formal evenings and for anyone new to the print. If you are buying one bodysuit, buy the black long sleeve. If you already own black lace, buy the brown.

The leopard lace dresses, column and skirts

Beyond the bodysuits, the print runs through the whole category.

• Bikini Asymmetric Drape Column in Leopard Lace, Black: a low neckline and an internal bodysuit under the drape. The most formal leopard piece of the season, and the one to wear to a black-tie party.
• Strapless Tucked Dress in Leopard Lace, Brown: a straight neckline with tucked drapes around the body. Cocktail evenings and milestone birthdays.
• Strapless Tucked Mini Dress in Leopard Lace, Black: the same tucked drape, cut short, for parties.
• Long Sleeve Asymmetric Drape Dress in Leopard Lace, Brown: crew neck, long sleeves, a skirt drape across the hip. The leopard dress for dinner.
• Asymmetric Drape Skirt in Leopard Lace, Black and its brown counterpart: an asymmetric mid waist with ruching at the hip, long.

Earlier seasons pushed leopard further. The Long Sleeve V Dress in Leopard Burnout uses a burn-out finish, the technique explained in our guide to devoré. The full category sits under Alex Perry bodysuits and on the Alex Perry brand page.

Is leopard print formal?

Leopard is as formal as the shape it comes in. A long column with an internal bodysuit holds its own at a black-tie party; a long sleeve bodysuit with jeans is a weekend outfit. Lace pushes the print toward evening, because sheerness is an evening idea. For weddings, leopard lace is fine at an evening reception with a modern crowd. For a religious ceremony, cover the sheer areas with a blazer until the dancing starts.

For day, keep one sheer element and make the rest solid: the brown long sleeve bodysuit under the Straight Trouser in Wool Suiting, Sage with a matched base layer and flat shoes. For evening, let the lace show more skin and add one hard texture, leather being the obvious one.

How to style a leopard bodysuit: five looks

1. The dinner suit. Black long sleeve bodysuit, black double-breasted blazer, black wool trousers. Lace cuffs only, until the jacket comes off.
2. The lace column. Black long sleeve bodysuit with the black asymmetric drape skirt. Two pieces that read as one long dress.
3. Leopard and leather. Brown scoop singlet bodysuit with the cherry leather skirt. Brown and cherry sit well together, and the leather steadies the lace. More leather pairings are in our leather strapless dress edit.
4. Winter party. Brown bikini bodysuit with the brown asymmetric drape skirt and the white shearling biker over the shoulders.
5. The corset layer. Black wool corset top over the black long sleeve bodysuit, with straight black trousers. The most directional of the five.

For the fundamentals of tucking, rise and proportion, our longer piece on how to style a bodysuit applies to every shape here.

Sizing and care

The elastane in the lace makes these pieces more forgiving than Alex Perry’s corseted leather and wool. Luxury Handbags stocks the Fall Winter 2026 leopard lace in UK 4 to 18 and reads it as true to size; US sizes are the UK number minus four. If you sit between sizes in a bodysuit, consider your torso length as well as your bust, and compare your measurements with the chart in our Alex Perry size guide. For care, follow the label, keep lace away from jewellery claws and hook-and-loop fastenings that snag, and store it folded rather than on a hanger.

Shop the edit

• Long Sleeve Bodysuit in Leopard Lace, Black
• Scoop Singlet Bodysuit in Leopard Lace, Brown
• Bikini Asymmetric Drape Column in Leopard Lace, Black
• Strapless Tucked Dress in Leopard Lace, Brown
• Asymmetric Drape Skirt in Leopard Lace, Black
• More: designer bodysuits

Frequently asked questions

How do you style a leopard lace bodysuit?

Style a leopard lace bodysuit by pairing it with one solid, structured piece. Under a buttoned double-breasted blazer with wool trousers it reads as a dinner outfit, and with a long lace skirt in the same colour it looks like a single column gown. With a leather skirt it becomes party wear. Keep jewellery simple, because the lace pattern already carries the look.

What do you wear under a sheer lace bodysuit?

Wear a bralette and briefs in the darkest tone of the lace under a sheer lace bodysuit, such as chocolate under brown and black under black, so the lace reads as one surface. A base close to your skin tone gives the most sheer effect for evening. For more coverage at the bust, layer a cupped stretch mesh bodysuit underneath a long sleeve lace style.

Is leopard print formal?

Leopard print can be formal when the shape is. A long leopard lace column with an internal bodysuit, such as Alex Perry’s black Bikini Asymmetric Drape Column, suits a black-tie party and an evening wedding reception. A leopard bodysuit with jeans is casual. Lace moves the print toward evening, so cover sheer areas with a blazer at religious ceremonies and daytime events.

Brown vs black leopard: which is more versatile?

Black leopard lace is the more versatile choice, because from a distance it reads close to classic black lace and works for formal evenings, office dinners and parties. Brown leopard is warmer and more obviously animal print, and it is easier in daylight with camel, cream and dijon. If you already own black lace pieces, brown leopard adds more to a wardrobe.

What do you wear over a lace bodysuit?

Wear a structured jacket over a lace bodysuit. A fitted double-breasted blazer in wool suiting covers the sheer torso and leaves the neckline and cuffs on show, which suits dinners and events with a mixed crowd. A cropped leather biker gives a harder evening look, and an oversize shearling biker adds warmth over leopard lace on winter nights out.

Does Alex Perry leopard lace stretch?

Yes, Alex Perry’s Fall Winter 2026 leopard lace is 90% polyamide and 10% elastane, so it stretches and moves with the body. That makes the lace bodysuits, dresses and skirts more forgiving than the label’s corseted leather and wool pieces. Luxury Handbags reads the leopard lace as true to size in UK 4 to 18. Check each product page for current sizes.

Read next: the leather strapless dress and the biker to wear over it, what is a devoré gown and Alex Perry Fall Winter 2026.