Eva Mendes Endorses the Leopard Print Trend and Mob Wife Boots for a Rare Public Appearance
The actor re-emerged in true diva fashion with a new book and a surprise Stella McCartney campaign to promote.
It's a glorious day indeed when the mysterious Eva Mendes decides to step out in the leopard print trend in New York City. Mendes left her acting career behind years ago to parent her daughters full-time, and since then, she's hardly been photographed in public—much less on the red carpet with her actor husband, Ryan Gosling.
That said, I'm starting to get the sense Mendes may be on the verge of a comeback. It started with a sighting at the Paris Olympics, where she and Gosling watched the artistic gymnastics women's uneven bars final in August. Then, on Sept. 17, Stella McCartney revealed Mendes as the face of its fall 2024 campaign alongside British singer Raye. Per Women's Wear Daily, "McCartney chose to work with Mendes for her strong voice and support for immigrants, women and children, and her entrepreneurial initiatives for good, including as the face of plastic-free water brand FloeWater."
And now—mere hours after the campaign drop—we've received our first Eva Mendes paparazzi shot in ages, thanks to her unexpected appearance on Good Morning America to promote her new children's book, Desi, Mami, and The Never-Ending Worries. The author looked striking in a sheer leopard print dress worn with a cornflower blue coat and mob wife-worthy black pointed-toe boots, both from Stella McCartney, as she arrived at the studio for her interview. Like Mendes herself, leopard print is slated to make a major comeback for fall 2024.
The star—who was most likely styled for the appearance by Masha Ossovskaya—accessorized the look with a small black handbag, dangling gold earrings, multiple chunky cocktail rings, a gold chain necklace, and oversize sunglasses. Her signature caramel waves, meanwhile, were pulled into a Brigitte Bardot-esque half-updo created by Steeve Daviault.
Like Mendes herself, leopard print is slated to make a major comeback for fall 2024. Brands from Ganni to Gucci never necessarily gave up the print—but now, labels at every point on the designer spectrum are dabbling in leopard and cheetah tops, bottoms, and dresses.
It's heartening to see Mendes return to the spotlight after a decade of working primarily in the home. Memorably, she once called leaving Hollywood in favor of becoming a full-time mother of two "the easiest decision [she] ever made."
"I was older and I knew that my kids are going to be little once, and whatever I do or don't do right now is going to affect them the rest of their life," she explained to People in May during an exclusive interview.
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Mendes currently shares two daughters, 8-year-old Amada and 10-year-old Esmeralda, with Gosling, to whom she's been married since 2011.
"Your career comes and goes but kids, yeah, that was easy for me," Mendes concluded in conversation with People. "They're just formative years. I wanted to be there for all of it.
Shop the Leopard Print Trend Inspired by Eva Mendes
Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy long-form feature stories.
Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of Tennessee, where she was mainly taught to love and revere Dolly Parton. When she’s not at work, Hanna can likely be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.
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