Friday 9 August 2013

Walk on the Wild Side!

“Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!” Little did I know that the lines Dorothy hummed in the Wizard of Oz while walking through the spooky forest will also be my reaction on entering a clothing store. Check out what the latest offerings this season are, and we will all be singing to Dorothy’s tunes in symphony.

Nope! Not talking about an animal print! While animal print is a clothing style wherein the fabric resembles the pattern of the skin and fur of an animal (faux leopard prints being the most common), what caught my attention was using the animal “as the print”, or an “animal picture” as a block covering the t-shirt say.

Bringing the fauna to your closet, this trend is here to stay in my opinion. Images of our friends from the wild are a sure shot winner to grab a lot of eyeballs. How can anyone ignore when the wildlife marches along.

What I am compelled to do is compare which one of the two works better. Subtle, equally shaped, sized and spaced miniatures of the beast flowing through the garment, or, an overwhelming look, with one of the wild ones, staring in your face! The parameter for comparison for me will always be which one scores on the “casual-edgy” meter. Ok, so I just invented this meter! But, don’t you agree with me that an animal photo on clothing has to pass the test of how casual, yet edgy it is? 

The Beast at its Best staring
Miniature camels along the fabric

I believe nothing means more cool and casual than a plain t-shirt with an animal picture on it. Team it up with skinny jeans or denim shorts (my all time favorite), and there you go. You are ready for your day outing with your friends over the weekend. And talking about edgy, like, duhh, the gaze that one of our friends from the wild is enough to make an impact anywhere!

Would love to know whether you prefer the one man show, singing “Hey, I heard you were a wild one”, or the battalion humming in chorus.
As always, put your fashionable foot forward!