Animal prints are a trump fashion card as they add a bit of fruity to an otherwise staid outfit. However, this season, the animal kingdom has been completely re-ordered.
Dalmation is in. Python is in. Leopard is out. Calfskin is teetering. Zebra is workable. And what about the actual animal print itself? Wolves are out. Dogs are in, particularly poodles. Owls are both in and out and anything is ok as long as it’s a cheeky print of a bum. Who knew the animal kingdom could be so cruel? Darwin’s theory of evolution strictly applied to the catwalk.
On various Hot or Not lists, leopard print is hightailing it up and down the index in truly schizophrenic form; (the Irish Times Magazine declared polka and leopard print as roadkill over the weekend) for some it is simple over-saturation, for others leopard print is now a classic wardrobe staple. It’s an absolute mine-field this season. Whichever way you vote, there is still plenty of kinky leopard prints awaiting your hard-earned cash, alongside a whole new menagerie of prints. So who is doing a good line in animals?
If you’re looking for a mere hint of print then you want the snap of snakeprint on your Alexander McQueen clutch, the cheeky playfulness of a Giuseppe Zanotti heeled boot, the constrained sexiness of avintage Yves St Laurent leather snakeprint skirt.That’s at the discreet end of the spectrum, but we all know animal print can deliver high-octane fashion forwardness. Marcus Lupfer and his flamboyant, sequinned poodles, Balenciaga and the insatiable Alsatian, Vivienne Westwood and her leopard print structured jacket. And for the truly exhibitionist, head straight for the fur jackets – every conceivable shade of animal there ever was. Farfetch.com have a truly lust-worthy stable of designer coats (personally, I’m all about the fake), and for the more mild-mannered, check out the blouses; Malene Birger (one of my favourite designers) has a delightful little python-print shirt.
Ultimately though, if I’m buying a pet this season, it has to be the Lupfer poodle; cute, kitschy, statement, well behaved and toilet trained (so I hear…)
Alexander McQueen
Malene Birger
Giuseppe Zanotti
Vivienne Westwood Red Label
Jimmy Choo
Codello
Bob Carlos Collective
Marcus Lupfer
