Animal print has been an obsession of mine since I was in preschool. I would wear the same leopard leotard every single day. My parents obviously thought that was cute, but thinking back on it people probably thought that was the only thing I owned. Honestly, I didn’t even care, and I still don’t because I can tell you right now that I was the best dressed four-year-old in the state of New Jersey.
My love for animal print (especially leopard) has only grown throughout my teenage years. Luckily, this trend has a history of never going out of style, which makes me love it even more. It means I never have to get rid of my feline-looking frocks. Sportmax showed that they feel the same way about leopard print as I do in their fall 2014 ready-to-wear show. Almost every look included either a fur or animal print item (two of my favorite things to wear), which inspired me to combine the two and put together an outfit around this faux fur leopard coat.
Each look at the show also made the animal print the main focus of each look. They kept the color palette simple by using black or white when the look included a complex print. I went about my look the same way the Sportmax designers did—I paired a simple black turtleneck sweater with light wash ankle skinnies and black booties. To top it off, I added a statement necklace and a cream colored hat to bring out the light colors in the coat.
Word to the wise: if you want to incorporate animal print on your own and you want your feet to be warm, I suggest not wearing ankle boots with little thin socks when it snows (which is exactly what I did). If you keep the boots simple, such as a plain black over the knee or even cute black snow boots, you will not only complete the look successfully, but you will be able to conquer the bitter cold (don’t forget your thick socks!).
This fall 2014 show made my love for animal print and the color black even stronger, if that was even possible. These trends are becoming increasingly popular, which means more affordable stores are beginning to sell them, such as H&M, TOBI, Zara and ASOS, to name a few. If you don’t already, I highly suggest adding a killer printed piece to your wardrobe. And by one killer printed piece I really mean 20.
Get My Look: 1. A soft fur coat. 2. Stylish cropped jeans. 3. Fabulous leather Chelsea boots.
