Eva Mendes Endorses the Leopard Print Trend and Mob Wife Boots for a Rare Public Appearance

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.

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