5 Ways to Rock Animal Print

For the longest time, I shied away from wearing animal print. I didn’t think I could carry it off. Styling it just seemed tricky! In fact, I wasn’t even sure I liked it that much. Based on what I saw on TV growing up, it was either older women sporting animal print in the form of shapeless caftans or women with a bold dress sense wearing body hugging, leopard print dresses. There were very little examples of how to wear it elegantly and in an age-appropriate, work-appropriate, and daily styling manner. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

It wasn’t until I was in my early 30s when I started experimenting more with animal print. Here, I'm sharing some tips for tastefully incorporating animal print wear into your closet. This is what worked for me so I hope you find it useful.
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1. Start off with baby steps: I first learned to get comfortable with integrating smaller accessories into my overall outfit. So start with an animal print headband...a belt...a pair of leopard print shoes...or a purse. So for example, for chic day-to-day styles, wear animal print flats with cut-off shorts or with a pair of boyfriend jeans and a colorful top that doesn't have a busy print. Then build up to larger pieces over time as you get more confident with wearing these prints. 

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2. Keep it simple: I suggest you stick to a single animal print piece and harmonize your other outfit pieces around it. Print mixing with animal print can end up looking busy or crazy, if not done right. Unless you’re supremely confident about pattern mixing with animal print, it’s best to keep it simple. ⁣For example, if wearing an animal print blouse, wear a solid colored skirt. If wearing a single tone dress, add an animal print belt or shoes. Don't go all out with multiple animal print pieces in one look.

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3. Colors that work beautifully with animal print (particularly leopard print) in my view: red, black, yellow, and gold. Black is classic, red is bold and sexy, yellow is fun, and gold is glam/elegant. Gold accessories pair really well with leopard print too. ⁣And oh, you can't go wrong with denim. :)

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4. Animal print for work: If I'm styling for the office, my own preference is to keep the use of animal understated. I incorporate animal print into work wear in the form of accessories, such as a scarf or headband. If it’s an article of clothing, such as a blouse, I make it work appropriate by pairing it with an otherwise neutral-colored pant or skirt. 

5. Let your curves guide you: As with all patterns, animal prints tend to add volume to the part of the body that is wearing it. So my suggestion is to recognize your body’s proportions and figure out what you would like to play up! In my case, I prefer to highlight my top half and waistline. But in your case, maybe it's those long legs! 

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Leopards, tigers, and zebras! I have them all - prints, that is :)  Over time, I have graduated to tops, skirts, and dresses in all these print designs and I love them.⁣ There’s something about it that instantly creates an eye-catching, fun, or edgy look.⁣

Are you comfortable with animal print? How do you like to style them?