Animal Instincts

In the words of Tyra, who wants to be fierce? Fierce has many different meanings, in her case its talking about being someone that stands out. In my case it's about making your outfit stand out. Over the past couple years animal prints have been coming back in. I'm not talking about going overboard, I'm talking about how a little animal instinct can spice up your outfit in a good way. Accessories are the best way to add flair; bright colors, bold patterns and interesting prints. It is always fun to experiment with new shoes, purses and jewelry and to take a walk on the wild side. You can never have too many accessories, so it is OK to get something a little bit outside of your comfort zone.

Because shoes are my favorite we'll start there. I would have to say that i love leopard print shoes, they are chic and adorable. I was a little hesitant about them when they first started showing up a couple years ago but definitely warmed up to them in the end. I think they look best with solid colors, especially black and blue, but they can be paired with almost any color as long as the patterns aren't too invasive. Betsey Johnson on the left, I LOVE THESE SHOES. I can't get enough of them. Pair them with a cute summer dress and you're set to go. On the right is Charles by Charles David. I think these are cute for summer too because of the cork wedge. They are fun and more daring than your usual summer sandal.

Next we have bags, my second favorite thing to buy a million of. An important thing to remember is that leopards are not the only wild animal with a bold and beautiful print that inspires fashion designers everywhere. While leopard is the most popular print off of the safari, I love the idea of expanding to other great sources for prints. For example, on the right is Dooney and Bourke from the Giraffe collection. I think it is so creative and cute. They did a really good job with the colors and the print design. On the left is a chic cheetah prink bag made by LAMB by Gwen Stefani. She uses a more stylized version of the print which makes it a little different than the rest out there.

Betsey Johnson strikes again with her awesome, unique accessory repertoire. She is really good at making her pieces bold and striking, but not overpowering. She uses really intense and concentrated prints that would usually make small accessories look sloppy and too busy, but with her creative style she always manages to make them look fabulous. Both of these pairs of earrings are Betsey and I think they both are really well done. The zebra print on the left is another example of avoiding the typical leopard and choosing to be different.

I know I've been throwing the "L" word around a lot lately, but I feel like it is the only way to express how I feel about all of the great trends we have out there right now. An example of this: bangles. They have bee around for decades and are still in full swing. I really enjoy all of the variations and colors you can get, chunky, sterling, neon etc. Animal print is no exception to the rule. These bangles are really fun and a great way to subtly accessorize an outfit and take a small step onto the wild side without jumping right in. The bangles on the left are Sequin and I think that the colors are really pretty and mesh very well together. The bracelets on the left are Dolce and Gabbana, and are a little more flashy than your normal bangles. Whichever way you choose to go, it will accent your style in the perfect way.