If you paid attention to the Autumn/Winter runways at NYFW, there was one strong trend that emerged from the week. Animal print is back in a big way. Leopard, tiger, and zebra prints showed up in countless Fall collections, so expect to see the trend make its way to retailers as well. Before stocking up on leopard, take five styling tips from the runway for wearing modern animal print.
Bold Colors
For the truly brave, take a cue from the Tom Ford runway collection, and wear animal prints in bold colors! As you can see from the runway photos, the silhouettes of the suits are very clean and tailored and none of the models are showing too much skin. Keeping the styling fairly conservative helps to balance out the wild print. This look isn’t for everyone, but it looks exceptionally chic when done well.
All Over Tone-on-Tone
The Caroline Herrera AW18 collection provided us with a more wearable way to rock colorful all-over animal print. When the animal print is more of a textural change in the fabric, rather than a color change, the effect of the animal print is toned down. Notice again that the styling of these looks is quite minimal. A sophisticated boot is the only accessory to this strong look.
Luxe Outerwear
Animal print coats are nothing new, so they are a tried and true way to incorporate the animal print trend into your wardrobe. The luxurious outerwear from Calvin Klein are fantastic investment pieces. Even if the current animal print trend dies away, these coats will continue to be fashionable.
Pair with Prints
Mixing prints is a fairly advanced fashion technique, and one that can easily go wrong. When done well, however, mixed prints look energetic and fun. The Michael Kors AW18 collection was bursting with mixed prints. Animal prints were paired with florals, stripes, and plaids — sometimes all in the same look! If you are nervous about mixing such bold prints, start off small. Pair a leopard print (a very neutral animal print) with a pinstripe. From there you might feel more comfortable working up to bolder print pairings.
Wild Menswear
Men haven’t been excluded from the modern animal print trend. Bottega Veneta’s AW18 collection featured plenty of zebra stripes that were reminiscent of the 90s. While zebra print might not make its way to the office quite yet, adding some animal print to your street wear style looks extremely hip.
Animal print is a classic fashion staple, but this year’s prints are modern, bold, and bright. We hope these tips have helped you to incorporate modern animal print into your own day-to-day style! You will probably love our picks for animal print jewelry as well.
