Going Wild for Animal Print

As 2019 comes around and progresses into its final quarter, we can look back and see that with it, the year has brought us some key trends as the state of fashion and style continue to progress and evolve. Whether it be the continued popularity of athleisure, the mainstream addition of neo-goth style, or even the rise of boiler suits and work wear, we can see that 2019 has been “interesting” for fashion in the least. One trend however that sticks out is the addition of animal print to many people wardrobe.

While never really being a “dead” trend in the fashion world, animal prints have certainly taken a back seat to the neutral/earth tones, hyper-branding prints and the black/grey monotone palettes in recent years. Today however, colorful, bold, or textured pieces of animal print garments are now staples to many fashionistas closets. Be it a tiger striped blouse, cow hair boots, or a scaly snake print bag, the range of animal prints is quite apparent, and they can be styled according to what the wearer is looking for. Able to be dressed up or down, the versatility is there within these pieces making it less of a seldom worn statement piece.

The most popular pattern that has emerged for the animal prints, is clearly the cheetah spots pattern. Seen on casual button-up shirts and trousers, it is definitely there to make a statement and spice up an outfit. Cheetah print pairs extremely well with darker, neutral colors like black and grey and could be that bold color used to add a needed color pop to an otherwise monotonous outfit. It is not necessarily a casual piece that can’t be dressed up. Versatility is definitely one of this patterns benefits. Seen in everything from Saint Laurent Paris dresses and loafers to an R13 Overcoat, cheetah print is absolutely something that could be worn on a night as well.

One of the more interesting patterns to rise up from the animal print trend, is the introduction of cow hair and cow printed garments. Rising with the accompaniment of “cowboy culture”, cow hair is certainly an unusual trend, but not an unwelcomed one. Seen on pieces from companies like Palace, KENNEL&SCHMENGER and even Burberry , the cow hair textured pattern has been adopted by many brands. Unlike cheetah print, cow hair print is not as easy to wear of a pattern as other swatches, however, this print is an excellent option for someone who likes to takes risks with their wardrobe, while also keeping on trend and keeps relevant to today’s pop culture. Mainly used on boots, cow hair print can be styled with an all denim look if one really wants to capture the essence of the current “cowboy culture” or even as a statement shirt worn under a blazer to add a very unique pattern to a normally boring suit or outfit.

While most animals prints were not as popular as they are now and some new ones have even been introduced, one pattern that has remained almost timeless and has been a regular addition to most wardrobes, is the snakeskin print. Coming from mostly accessories like handbags and heels on females and loafers and belts on males, snakeskin in garments has definitely evolved with this trend. Seen on shirts from Alexander Wang, to full dresses from Roberto Cavalli, to even sneakers from Golden Goose and Nike, the range of this pattern is apparent and shows that this iconic print is still alive and well. Being able to be worn on suits with accessories and casually as staples to on outfit, the classic snakeskin print is extremely easy to pair with outfits for all occasions, one can confidently bet that snakeskin is not only a very on trend piece, but will not be going anywhere anytime soon.