"I said a hey you guys
Look who's awaitin' outside.
Well she got style you can see it in her feline eyes.
When she starts movin' you sure can tell
When she starts shakin' she's raisin' hell....And then the cat crept in and crept out again
The cat crept in and crept out again
So I open the door for that high-heeled paw
I said the cat crept in
Ooh
And crept out again. "
So sang Mud in 1974 the rough est9imate of the date for this gorgeous faux fur leopard jacket, would fit from a modern UK size 6 up to a 10, and it has a real vintage feline miaow to it for sure!
These short swing jackets were a reinvention of 1930s and 40s style, and the look was pioneered by Lee Bender's Bus Stop and Biba, and this one has the Hulanicki inspired shoulder structure.
In addition to the Glam Rock craze which went with such styles, there was also a Rock n Roll revival niche within it with the likes of Mud Showaddywaddy Shakin Stevens and Alvin Stardust. And thus leopard print was in demand with the rock n roll girl too though she was likely to be wearing flares and platform boots those days rather than circle skirts and kitten heels. Which made dancing rather difficult so Mud had come up with a little dance which involved just a couple steps forward and back in crcular movement then thumbs ticked in to belt loops and upper torso shoulder action left and right forward alternately! It's a dance sometimes mistakenly attributed to Status Quo fans, much to their annoyance apparently!
And while American fifties cars were making an appearance in London and elsewhere, this coat will have been more likely to ride in a Triumph TR6 or Stag, also favoured by the Rock n Roll guys if they'd graduated from a Triumph motorcycle.
A gorgeous 'Spirit of the Age' iconic jacket in excellent condition and a must for the Biba and Bus Stop fan, for flared pants revival, for rockabilly rebels and glam rock seventies babe alike, and for a 1930s/40s look if real fur isn't your thing; though faux fur wasn't invented until 1939 and poor quality nylon then at that. So at least this is a step up from those if not authentic.
No label sadly would love to know who did this it is rather gorgeous though Bus Stop would have to be a contender, I've only seen one and that was a leopard velour in similar style, though very similar to some of their tapestry styles with the tie scarf and shoulders, and I'd guess someone like Wallis or C&A even among possibilities.