Haute shots: Animal instincts

It’s time to walk down the wild side of fashion. As high-end brands like Giles Deaco, Max Mara, Stella McCartney and Chanel show their animal-inspired creations for this season, we take a quick tour of this trend that’s set to be a big hit among fashionistas.

While fashion label Chloe looks happy with blue horses galloping against a deeper blue background, fashion giant Valentino showcased printed butterflies on summer jackets. Missoni’s red capes have black foxes lurking around and Thom Browne’s all-black menswear line is dotted with pocket-size turtles and whales.

Fashion has come a long way since the mandatory leopard prints. “This summer is all about drawing inspiration from nature,” remarks designer Aartivijay Gupta.
Speaking about the trend, she says, “While the owls, parrots and peacocks are primary motifs in my collection, they are all presented with a new twist of Moroccan glass mosaic art work. Mid-length skirts, midi dresses, crop tops and A-line dresses look lovely with such kind of prints. Drawing the eye to your legs with a bright, eye-catching set of printed shorts is also a good idea. Balancing it with a relaxed and solid blouse is essential. If the blouse is printed, then balancing it with a solid colour is essential. As for colour combinations, keep them in tune with the original inspiration one draws from.”

On a creative note, designer Varoin Marwah plans to take an aquatic dip where the Mandarin fish are his inspiration for the season. “Remember, summer is always an excuse for a pop of colours. Combinations of taffeta, crepe, knits and cottons would be perfect fabrics to showcase the effect of the pattern inspired by Mandarin fish. Silhouettes placed away from the body  look very eye-catching. Draped silhouettes can also help create the wave-like pattern in the ensemble. Jackets, loose shirts, baggy pants and chinos would be the best garments to sport in this pattern.”

For placements, he adds, “Since the pattern is abstract it can be used very artistically on collars, cuffs, panels on jackets and sleeves or the yoke of shirts. The pattern can be used as a patch for pockets and also in the form of lining too.”

On the other hand, designer Sounia Gohil is keen to tap the myriad colours of a peacock this summer. The designer points out, “Settle for the beautiful bird or just go flaunting its feather on a slip dress. Let there be a gamut of colourful expressions — right from turquoise, yellow, emerald green, raspberry pink, and flaming orange. For an over-all printed look, giraffe prints and a black and grey combination of zebra prints have  replaced the leopard and reptile impact.”