Embrace Your Wild Side

For once this spring isn’t just going to be all about florals, THANK GOD. Animal print has taken over the fashion industry and has been revamped with neon colors and in oversized silhouettes. For pre-fall 18 designers such as Tom Ford and Kenzo have managed to make animal print even busier with the help of vibrant hues that make a statement. We even saw Off-White use neon green snakeskin on one of their dresses for their SS19 collection. Italian brands such as Versace, Roberto Cavalli, and Brognano featured zebra, cheetah, and snakeskin in Milan for SS19, but these patterns were void of color and stayed true to what the animal looks like — for the most part.

Back in October, I posted a photo on my Instagram of the mannequins at Saks 5th Avenue, which were plastered in head-to-toe animal print. I’m not exaggerating this but, literally almost every single section in that store included some form of this print. Trust me this trend isn’t just for us high-fashion lovers. It's taken over every fast-fashion store, which is great for us gals on a budget that love to spruce up our wardrobes.

I find this trend nostalgic because growing up I watched movies and tv shows like The Cheetah Girls and The Nanny, which had their fair share of wild girls in animal print. Seriously, how can I not love all of Fran Fine’s “risqué” cheetah outfits.

The most difficult item to style has to be the neon animal print because it’s a bold choice. The way I chose to style my neon tiger top from Bershka is by using the colors to my advantage. I paired it with a light pink vinyl skirt and kept all the other accessories black to match the stripes. If vinyl isn’t your cup of tea and you feel that it’s too bold, there’s nothing wrong with keep the rest of your outfit simple. This top would even look great with black jeans and black boots.

outfit details: earrings - Forever 21, top - Bershka, skirt - American Apparel, bag - Giorgio Armani, tights - Target

I did a two in one with this look by mixing giraffe and cheetah print. The reason this works because of the contrasting colors (burgundy and teal) juxtaposed by black. Using contrasting colors is a great way to style an outfit because it’s a way to add a lot of color without it looking too busy. Also, can we talk about how cute this mini bag is? It pretty much can only hold a lipstick and a debit card, but that’s the sacrifice you have to take to be fashionable.

outfit details: coat - INC, bodysuit - Windsor, skirt - L’oeil, bag - & Other Stories, tights - Target, boots - Ziggysoho

With this snakeskin wrap skirt from Bershka I kept it simple by using the colors found in the pattern. I mostly wore black except for the pop of orange with the Jeffery Campbell cowboy boots. Sometimes the simplest of outfits work the best. I also kept the warm tone theme and added gold jewelry to this look.

outfit details: earrings - I Am, necklace - & Other Stories, top - American Apparel, skirt - Bershka, tights - Target, boots - Jeffery Campbells