Check Meow-t

I knew I wanted a (faux) leopard coat immediately after seeing this outfit on Natalie Hughes of Canned Fashion way back in 2011 and since the Topshop one had already sold out by then, I waited very patiently to find an affordable one.  In 2012, I spotted (see what I did there?) this one at Forever 21 and foolishly didn't purchase it right away and they ran out of my size quickly thereafter, tears were shed, etc.  A few months later, they miraculously restocked and I snatched it up.  Then it proceeded to sit in my closet for over a year.

As some of you may have already seen on our Instagram, I chose to debut my coat today.  I haven't had the guts to wear it because even though you guys know that I love my animal print, this is a very obnoxious piece and I feared that I would get a lot of nasty Who Does She Think She Is? Looks.

I started my day off feeling incredibly confident, but was often overwhelmed with anxious thoughts -- stuff along the lines of "Ugh, you look like a cartoon villain.  What made you think you could pull this off?" -- and it was a struggle to push them out.  I'll be wearing it again, though.  And again.  And again.  Until this coat feels as natural to wear as the dark grey one that I rock on the daily.

I was running late this morning and didn't have time to set up my tripod, so my husband was kind enough to take a few quick phone snapshots (thanks, toots, u da best). I apologize for the quality.  Thanks for the outfit inspiration, Natalie Hughes.  You're still my Coat Hero.

Coat, Jeans, Heels: Forever 21 / Shirt: H&M

Do you have any items that you love but don't wear enough?