Survival Instincts

So the latest "key season fashion" is animal print. Its actually been around for over a year in the mainstream, but this Autumn/Winter the shops have gone wild (see what I did there?) with animal identification characteristics on everything from scarves, handbags, shoes, cardigans, leggings, coats and more. There also seems to be a shift away from the usual classic colours and we're now seeing red leopard print and illuminous pink snakeskin.

Personally I'm not one for looking like a Jungle Book character and tend to steer clear of anything vaguely animal related. I do, however, have a silk leopard print scarf which I got from Oasis last summer. I bought it for a fancy dress party at London Zoo and the theme, unsurprisingly, was animals. I decided to opt for a hint of animal as I didn't want to be parading around on the tube wearing a gorilla suit, particularly as it was a tea party in the middle of the afternoon. I didn't think I would ever wear the scarf again, but rather shockingly for me it has proved to be a very useful piece in my wardrobe.

I wear the scarf round my neck, tied into a double bow to the side when wearing a black shift dress. Its a good way to liven up the basic black of our working wardrobes and tends to look quite classy when worn with your hair up. It's also good to wear as a belt with jeans when relaxing at the weekend and works equally well as a headscarf/hairband when you're trying to pretend you are uber cool on your summer holiday (massive sunglasses, over-sized handbag and chunky bangles add to the pretence of uber cool - orange skin optional).

So to bring a bit of survival instinct into your work wardrobe, why not try touches of animal print rather than plastering yourself in it to avoid the risk of looking like Pat Butcher and her other Eastender friends. Tip Number Two:

Less is More - A pair of animal print shoes teamed with a plain block colour outfit can look fabulous, follow up with matching skinny belt or echo the theme in your jewellery. Or why not get that mock croc handbag you've been drooling over to add a dash of something to your otherwise muted (albeit professional) outfit.

Now time to go hunting ladies...

Nx