Beauty and the beast

It’s the call of the wild – the impulse to dress oneself in clothing inspired by the skins of the animal world.

Print and pattern based on the markings of leopard and zebra, of snake and crocodile, roamed the international catwalks of fashion for this autumn and winter, alongside leather and skin effects, all combining to create a wild and wonderful jungle reflecting the best of both art and nature.

First was the leopard, with Tom Ford sending down the runway luxuriously decadent head-to-toe looks, while Moschino Cheap & Chic teamed leopard mini tunics with leopard fur coats and also gave us rock-chic style slinky leopard and black lace slip dresses, keying straight into the updated punk trend for autumn/winter.

Meanwhile, Burberry Prorsum showed a neat leopard and cheetah panelled pencil skirt with a long-sleeve, nude, ribbed knit sweater and gold belt, for a gloriously textured yet wearable take on daytime animal print – a look well worth experimenting with for this season.

Monochrome animal print is seen in zebra print and dalmation (remember Kate Middleton’s dalmatian print Hobbs coat, worn on her last public engagement before giving birth).

So, why is animal print so adored? How has it managed to transcend its Bet Lynch pint-pulling connotations to become one of the prints most lusted-after by style lovers the world over?

The answer lies to a large degree in the wearability of the tonal colours of animal print. Leopard print, in particular, with its nude and gold tones mingled with brown and black, suits pretty much all skin and hair colourings, bringing out the best in both dark and fair as it complements and contrasts.

The black and white of prints such as zebra has a harsher, cleaner edge, but it provides the perfect foil to other colours and patterns. A pair of monochrome zebra or ponyskin shoes or boots will bring a little kick to many an outfit.

Experiment with mixing animal print, both with other animal prints and with patterns such as this season’s dark and moody florals. Add a flash of shine in the form of a metallic belt or pair of heels.

A touch of animal print – a chiffon leopard print blouse is an example – will always add a dash of rock ’n’ roll.

Twitter: @yorkshirefashQ