CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Animal prints are one of the season's biggest trends, and our expert says they aren't going away anytime soon. So, how to walk on the wild side?
The Wardrobe Consultant Hallie Abrams showed us, you don't have to go all out to get in on the trend. She showed us four different looks mixing in these fun printed pieces, from subtle to bold.
And for this Love Your Look, Hallie invited us to Zhug, Doug Katz's hip new restaurant in Cleveland Heights, inspired by the minimalist eateries he's found in Tel Aviv.
Speaking of minimal, for our first look, Hallie focused on dipping just a toe into animal print. Hallie's mom, Susan, modeled this look. The column of black is elongating and punctuated with a belt and gloves in a similar leopard print.
Even the jewelry here plays into the color scheme, without overpowering, like the earrings from Chagrin Falls artist Mavec Collections. "The earrings are nice because they are playing on the colors in the leopard print, but it's not necessarily more leopard."
Want the look? Click here for links to the other items in this first look and others.
Our second look is for anyone who already has some animal print hiding out in her closet. "It's classic," as Hallie says. But how do you bring it into 2020?
"If you put any bright, solid color with [animal print], it will look fresh," says Hallie. On model Camille, Hallie styled a bright, neon knit sweater over leopard print jeans. The brightly colored earrings and fun 'Fries' clutch from Aldo round out the look without feeling too fancy.
Each look, Hallie got a bit bolder. This next one is perfect for New Year's Eve plans or a party evening into the winter -- with a lot of sparkle!
"Another way you can do animal print that makes it different, it can be a different fabric," said Hallie. On Krissi, Hallie used animal print boots in a metallic print, this pair from Express.
She paired that with a shorts jumper from Zara with an equal amount of sparkle, and a fun 'Chanel' inspired bag from Knuth's. "That's not expected, and that's part of the fun play on it."
Many of us are stumped by how to tie a waist like on Krissi's jumpsuit, or even a tie-neck blouse. Hallie says the answer is simple: a square knot. Watch her tutorial below. There are several of these how-to hacks on Hallie's instagram highlights, found here.
5 Tips for Styling Animal Prints - From Basic to Bold:
- If you’re just dipping your toe into this trend or you’re more of a classic type, keep it simple with a monochromatic look and leopard accessories.
- Are you already happily wearing an animal print? Then try switching your animal up and wear a zebra, giraffe or tiger print.
- If you’re not afraid of color, try an animal print in a bright color like red or blue.
- Try an animal print in an unexpected material like sequins for a night out or an event.
- And, if you’re really bold, try mixing multiple animal prints together – it can look amazeball!
For our boldest look yet, Hallie showed us how to mix animal prints for impact, "it's really awesome!"
On Jessa, Hallie styled a blue leopard print dress from Evereve with a fun, faux fur zebra print jacket from New York & Company. What's the key to making this look work, without going overboard?
"There always should be one color that's tying your prints together," said Hallie, which was black in this case. "And the scale of the prints should be different: one smaller, one larger."
You can check out The Wardrobe Consultant's blog post on for links to the specific items in these looks by clicking here. Watch our YouTube exclusive Love Your Look to get even more of Hallie's shopping and styling pointers below.
