Animal Prints

I was slow to come around to this trend when it emerged a few years ago. Since I am petite, I feared looking silly wearing such a bold look. Would it wear me?

Now that animal prints have been around several seasons, I have really warmed up to them. I love the belts at J. Crew, the cute flats at Garnet Hill (the only ballet flats that I find comfortable), and the cute sweaters at Ann Taylor.



A very good article which dispenses advice on how to work animal prints into your wardrobe was recently in The Los Angeles Times' Image section. The link is not accessible (grrr!), but here are some points the journalist, Melissa Magsaysay made:

- As with any trend, wear it sparingly. . . Introduce these prints slowly and subtly into your wardrobe.

- Keep it tame by knowing which parts of your body to accentuate and, most important, when to stop. A loud print will draw attention to whatever part it's covering so place it in an area of your body you like.

- Animal prints are a trend that should not be paired with other current trends--meaning don't mix animal prints with shoulder pads or distressed denim.