The reason leopard goes wrong is almost never the print itself. It is that leopard reads as a colour and a pattern and a texture all at once, so anything else with an opinion starts competing with it. Wear it with a second print, a bright colour or a shiny fabric and the outfit becomes an argument. Wear it with black, cream, chocolate or navy and it behaves exactly like a neutral, which is what people mean when they call it one.

The second thing that matters is scale. A small, dense print reads as texture from across a room, which is why a small-scale leopard shoe or scarf is the easiest place to start. A large-scale print reads as a statement whatever you put it with. So the decision is really: how much surface area, at what scale, and what is doing the quieting.

Below, leopard three ways: the leopard piece, leopard in small doses, and the solid half that keeps it quiet. Anine Bing, Rat & Boa, Khaite and Cinq À Sept are in, and Ganni takes the Label Love.

This is the one piece carrying the print, and the rule I use is that it should be one item and one item only. A leopard jacket over solids works. A leopard jacket with a leopard bag reads as a theme.

What to look for. Check the colourway before anything else: a warm, low-contrast leopard in tan and brown is far more wearable than a high-contrast black on bright gold, which is the version that tips into costume. Look at whether the spots are printed or woven as a jacquard, since jacquard reads more expensive and holds its shape. And check the print placement on the body, because a repeat centred badly across the bust is a real problem you cannot fix. Rails and Rat & Boa do the everyday versions, Anine Bing the blazer if you want the print tailored, and Ganni and Cult Gaia the ones with more attitude.

If you have never worn the print, start here. An accessory in leopard gives you the whole effect with about a tenth of the surface area, and it works with a wardrobe that is otherwise entirely plain.

The easiest three, in order: a shoe, because it is furthest from your face and reads as texture. A belt, because it breaks up a block of solid colour and does the job an accessory is supposed to do. And a scarf, which is the only one of the three that sits near your face, so choose a low-contrast colourway. Haircalf is the material to look for in shoes and belts, since the natural hair holds the pattern in a way a print on smooth leather does not. Splendid and Beek do the affordable versions, Cinq À Sept and Rails the middle, and Khaite and Nili Lotan the pieces to keep. A small leopard bag is the exception I would be careful with, since a bag sits at your waist and pulls the eye there.

This is the half of the outfit nobody photographs and the reason the outfit works. The job is to be completely uninteresting: one colour, matte fabric, simple cut.

The colours that work hardest with leopard are black, cream, chocolate and navy, and of those chocolate is the one people forget. Brown against a tan leopard makes the whole thing look intentional rather than accidental, because the print already contains brown. Avoid grey, which fights the warm tones, and avoid anything with a sheen, since satin next to leopard reads as evening even at eleven in the morning. A plain knit, a cami and a straight trouser will carry any leopard piece in this issue. Rails and Nili Lotan do the knits, Faherty the plain tank, ALOHAS and St. Agni the trousers.

Ganni is the label this issue belongs to, because animal print is a permanent part of the house vocabulary rather than a seasonal visit, and because it prints on everything, which is genuinely useful when you are deciding how much print you want.

The range gives you the whole spectrum in one place. There is leopard on washed cotton canvas trousers, which is the low-key version. There is zebra in satin, which is the loud version. There are the printed Bou bags and card holders if you want the print as an accessory only, and the buckle sandals if you want it on your feet. Prices span a wide band, and the cotton and canvas pieces are where the value is. Sizing runs generous through the body on the printed pieces. If you want one thing, take the leopard washed cotton trousers and wear them with a plain black knit.

The print on my radar this month.

Rat & Boa Luma skirt in leopard, the one I would wear with a plain black knit.

Joseph Mia leopard jacquard dress, woven rather than printed and it shows.

Khaite Jane flat in zebra haircalf, the considered version of the small dose.

Frank & Eileen Eileen shirt in glitter animal print, in their Italian linen.

Beek Sandpiper in leopard, the easiest possible entry point.

Rails Josephine shirt in ecru cheetah, a low-contrast colourway that goes with everything.

Ganni leopard printed mesh long-sleeve blouse, a layer rather than a top.

Cult Gaia Abi sandal in cheetah, for summer.

The rules I keep to with print.

One print, one piece. Two leopard items in one outfit reads as a set even when they do not match.

Check the contrast, not just the pattern. Low-contrast tan and brown is a neutral. High-contrast black on gold is a statement, and it is a different purchase.

Keep everything else matte. Satin or anything shiny next to leopard is what makes an outfit look like an occasion when you did not intend one.

Start at the feet. A leopard shoe teaches you whether you like the print far more cheaply than a coat does.

If you take one thing away: to stop a bold print wearing you, keep everything else solid and quiet and choose a simple silhouette, so the cut and the print are not competing for the same attention.