Friday, March 30, 2012

Toning down Animal Prints



We all know that during this time of the year, any type or form of floral, aztec or tribal print has to always appear in our wardrobe. Animal prints were a hit last winter, especially leopard print. I, for one, used to HATE animal print. I used to find them very tacky and I just did not like the way people wore such a very bold print. But as it became on trend, I started to get into it more. I learned how to make leopard print not look tacky, and with that help I ended up loving animal prints. And when I say animal print, I mean cheetah, leopard or snake, I don't mean zebra. I'm not into zebra-yet. As I was saying, I ended up finding animal print pieces, mostly accessories or shoes, to give an outfit some character. For example a very plain outfit in very neutral colours, paired up with leopard shoes or even a leopard scarf. I was very into this trend last winter. However, since spring is considered as the season to bring out very vibrant and girly patterns, we tend to ditch the bold, dark toned animal prints. So what I'm trying to point out is that you can actually still transition your favourite animal print pieces to your spring wardrobe. The only difference being is that you have to just slightly tone down the rest of your outfit and to avoid using warm, bold colours. In fact, high end designers demonstrated animal prints for their spring/summer 2012 collection.





 Roberto Cavalli Spring/Summer 2012 Campaign- Subtle way of adding animal prints and combination of leopard and snake skin print. The sheerness of the printed fabric gives it a delicate and summery feel. 

Michael Kors-Safari themed collection inspired by his latest visit to South Africa. Infusion of tribal, animal prints, and tie-dye patterns. 

As for my way of styling animal print patterns for spring, I created 3 polyvore sets to demonstrate 3 different looks that might attract your taste. 


Snake Print and hint of neon Yellow


Snake Print and hint of neon Yellow by katia featuring banana republic jewelry
This is by far my favourite outfit. It is very bohemian/tribal inspired. The main focus of this outfit is obviously the trousers, so it is important to leave the rest of the outfit neutral if you do not want to go over board. The jumper gives the outfit a laid back look but very edgy and stylish at the same time, with the gold accessories and chunky heel. To make the outfit a bit more vibrant and 'spring-y' looking, rather than just neutral from head to toe, I suggest adding just a very bright colour to your handbag, shoes, or accessories. I think with just a touch of that neon yellow, the outfit turned out looking from dull to bright! 






Toning down Leopard print


Toning down Leopard print by katia featuring stone jewelry


Since leopard print colours are very dark and bold, it might not fit well with the rest of the spring colours in our wardrobe. So I would opt for a more faded or slightly pale coloured leopard print. This way, it is easier to add any kind of colour to make your outfit pop. The shorts in this set, are a lighter shade than the normal leoprad print we know and the mint blouse goes perfect with it. You can add pretty much any vibrant colour to these shorts, just as long as you keep the rest of the outfit as neutral as possible. You can do this not just by adding shorts, but also a blazer, shoes or even a scarf. 


Snake Skin Print and Neutrals


Snake Skin Print and Neutrals by katia featuring enamel rings
This my second favourite outfit. I think this looks very chic and sophisticated, and the snake skin print is only incorporated in the accessories, but still remains the main focus of the outfit. I styled this outfit by sticking to the colour palette of the shoes. Mixing white, grey and nude and adding the snake skin print is a very crisp and clean look to this outfit. The gold touches bring out the elegance and they make you look like you're worth a million bucks! 

So don't be afraid of mixing animal prints this spring or summer. I for one, already dived into leopard print, now I need to incorporate more snake print in my wardrobe, or at least in my shoe closet. If you know how to style them then you have nothing to worry about. The secret is that you have one item that is printed the  rest keeping it neutral or adding a pop of colour and you are good to go! 

Hope you found this informative , 

Stay chic xxx


4 comments:

  1. thanks for linking me to your blog! I LOVE IT. Really, I'm impressed :)

    I love how you paired mint and leopard! xx

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    1. Thank you so much Lara! I really appreciate it I have you to thank for! You inspired me along with other Maltese bloggers and I decided I should join the blogger team myself! :) xx

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  2. I am so in love with your blog :)

    it's always great to see other Maltese fashion bloggers :D

    I'm quite new myself as well .. www.amordegirasol.blogspot.com

    good luck with it ! I'm really eager to read new posts of yours :) well done !

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words ruth! I am still a beginner so I am still learning but I am having a blast doing what I love the most! I Love your blog too we have very similar tastes! I look forward to keep updated with your posts :)
      Thanks again! :) xx

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