This weekend, we pulled off an (early) surprise party for my dad’s 60th birthday! I am not a surprise party person – they give me lots and lots of anxiety and stress – and this was even harder because we were holding it at our house, and needed to let him know that something was going on without letting him know it was something for him! Luckily, I was able to convince him to drive me to Drybar before the cookout we told him was for me and my friends, so it worked out well for everyone.

It was really fun to bring all of our friends and family together to celebrate. For as long as I can remember, my parents have always loved throwing parties and entertaining, so this was the perfect way to celebrate his birthday. We’ll actually be at the pageant again for his birthday, so we had to do something for him! A surprise party seemed to be the perfect thing.

Of course, I had to pick out a perfect outfit for the party, too. Leopard is in this summer, but I’ve been an animal print fan for years and years. So now, I can just be glad that there are so many leopard print options for me to choose from! How cute is this leopard wrap skirt from Nordstrom Rack? And it goes perfectly with this smocked peplum top from Madewell. I love them together – it’s put together without being too much (although to be fair, I always err on the side of too much rather than too little).

I can already tell that this will be a go-to outfit for me – the black and white is so me, and the print gives it an extra pop and keeps it from being too plain. It worked for a party at our house, but I know it’ll work for lots of other occasions, too.