Get ready to unleash your wild side because we’re going over all the different styles of animal print! This print is a constant in fashion no matter the year or the season. Commonly seen as a neutral, fashion's continuing dalliance with animal prints means that it's never hard to find a piece in any of the different animal prints you’re a fan of.
There are many ways to master the art of styling animal prints and creating bold powerful looks with them. If you’re a long-time wearer of animal prints or are just about to dip your toes into these fierce styles for the first time we’ve got you covered! Keep reading to learn more about all things animal print.
The Animal Print Trend
Animal print has been featured in fashion shows for a good couple of decades. With its sexy connotations but a neutral classic aspect, it's been a favorite for a long time. Every couple of seasons animal prints get a shakeup, such as introducing new colors that aren’t the typical neutrals, such as neon pink or pastel blue, or just which print designers are focusing on.
Historically, animal prints originated from the use of animal skins. It was believed that they communicated the power or wealth status of the person wearing them. As early as the 18th century, you can find fabrics with patterns and colors that emulated the look of animal skins. These were used in dresses and were paired with detailed silk designs that imitated the look of exotic furs and laces that transmitted luxury and prestige.
Still, this print has gone through multiple public views throughout the years. Animal print has been labeled as world-class, upscale, trendy, kitschy, and even cheap. But nowadays, animal prints are still considered exotic, sexy, and eye-catching. It generally makes you look more confident and sexy, especially when worn in the right dose.
Every season, animal print patterns without question come up across the different fashion weeks runways, commonly having been transformed by playing with scale, colors, and the items that sport it. These changes and the widespread appearance of these patterns reflect their versatile nature and how they can be incorporated in both more minimalist and neutral collections and maximalist style presentations.
The different range of animal prints out there is definitely a contributor to this ability to insert them into such vastly different styles.
Different Types of Animal Prints
There are plenty of different animal prints you can wear. While the most known ones tend to be the wild feline prints, there are others to get to know. Generally, the most used animal prints are leopard, zebra, and cheetah.
These all have neutral tones and make them a versatile print, allowing you to play around with how you style it. Other common animal prints you can find are jaguar, tiger, cheetah, snake, crocodile, giraffe, cow, and dalmatian.
The wild feline prints can all look pretty similar, especially the jaguar, leopard, and cheetah. They can be distinguished by the type of “rosette” it features (or if it features one at all). The leopard print can be identified by black “rosette” spots made of thick-edged circles with small spots in the middle, the jaguar print can be identified by black “dirty rosette” spots, due to the thick-edged circles with tiny spots in the center, and the cheetah print simply has thick, solid black dots.
Snake and crocodile prints can also often get mixed up. An easy way to tell them apart is that snake prints should have a smaller skin look with a pattern all-over and mixed colors, while crocodile consists of irregular square-like shapes and sometimes have the illusion of volume at the joints of the squares.
How To Wear Animal Print Bathing Suits
Animal print has a certain reputation that it can only be worn by younger generations, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Any animal print can be worn by anyone at any age. You’re better off focusing on finding pieces that naturally complement your body and obviously there are certain things you can do to make the print look amazing!
Wearing animal print can as quickly be seen as classic and sophisticated or cheap looking. In general, it’s easier to pair prints with solids, using them as part of detail elements, especially if it’s your first couple of times venturing out into more of a wild style.
When it comes to swimwear this isn’t as easily the case. For your swimwear, make sure you’re buying high-quality materials and good-quality prints. This will be a great help in terms of guaranteeing that the look of the animal print is anything other than elegant and sophisticated. Another thing to look out for is making sure your suit fits properly. The fit of your swimsuit is vital to pay attention to when styling a tricker pattern.
If you’re still on the fence about animal prints, opt for the neutral versions that can actually be found out in nature and stay away from contrasting bold colors that are even trickier to manage.
For a classic animal print suit, check out our Dip Into The Wild One Shoulder One Piece. This leopard print number also features a fun one-shoulder style that has a cool strap cut-out.
If you’re a seasoned pro then try out or are ready to try out something a little different, then experimenting with colorful animal prints can be a fun way to spice up the neutral print.
If you’re looking for a little more color, a great way to try it out is with tonal versions of an animal print. Our On The Spot Reversible Knotted One Piece features an allover dotted cheetah pattern in two clay tones.
Another great way to rock animal print while at the beach is with your cover-up. Instead of a swimsuit go for an animal printed cover-up that’s easy to throw on and that is sure to have you feeling amazing.
Rock Your Print
Now you’re ready to embark on your wild animal print journey! Don’t worry if it feels like a big reach outside of your comfort zone; it’s ok to take things step-by-step and slowly start introducing the bolder prints into your wardrobe! This way by the time summer rolls around you’ll be feeling 100% confident in any animal print style that comes your way.
While on this discovery it’s important that you keep in mind that the fundamental part of any piece you choose is that you feel comfortable and confident in your new get-up!
Shop all the styles on the La Blanca website and get ready to take a walk on the wild side.
Sources:
According to the Runways, Tiger Stripes Are the Stand-Out Animal Print For Spring 2022 | Fashionista
5 Top Tips for Feeling Confident at the Beach | Bodyline Clinic
Lions and Tigers and Zebras: A History of Animal Prints | Shutterstock