To those of you out there who don’t like leopard print, I apologize. Not only are you probably sick of hearing about it by now, but it looks as though it’s going to be a long, long time before the furious din of conversation from the fashion world pipes down. We seem to have latched on to this historically popular print for an inordinately long amount of time, compared to the average trend lifespan.
For those of us who love leopard, on the other hand, cold weather brings it out in spades, particularly on luxuriously printed haircalf. But this winter isn’t about just leopard – all animal prints are getting their moment in the sun, and to help you get started on your search, we present you with Fall 2011’s best animal print bags.
It’s always best to start with something warm and familiar. The Yves Saint Lauren Muse Bag has been going strong for more than half a decade, but it looks brand new in traditional feline spots. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2395.
If you prefer your printed accessories to be petite instead of enormous, the Alexander McQueen Wicca Bag is still bold enough to be worth the splurge. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $1725.
The intricate and heavily detailed pattern of the VBH Animal Print Brera is the highlight of the group for me. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $3950.
Exotics and haircalf are expensive – prohibitively expensive, in most cases. If you want to get the look without shelling out thousands, a bag made of functional printed nylon like the By Malene Birger Reptile Nylon Maggia Tote is your best bet. Buy through ShopBop for $175.
Naturally, no conversation about leopard accessories would be complete without Dolce. The Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Leopard Satchel is just one of the brand’s colorfully printed Fall 2011 options. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2575.
If you’d rather keep your bags neutral and spice things up a bit with an animal print accessory, the Kate Spade Daycation Lacey Leopard Wallet would be a fitting accompaniment to almost any bright bag, let alone a whole host of neutrals. Buy through Bloomingdale’s for $155.
“It’s an ALAIA.” “An A-whatta?” “It’s like a TOTALLY IMPORTANT DESIGNER.” I’m sorry, that has nothing to do with the beautiful Alaia Leopard Tote, but saying it does make me very happy. As does this bag, actually. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $4770.
We all know about the charms of the Little Black Dress, but what to carry with it? A Little Leopard Clutch, like, say, the Jimmy Choo Carine Clutch. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1350.
Based on the bags from Fall 2011 and Resort 2012, it looks like zebra print is majorly surging in accessories popularity. Be ahead of the trend with a classic shape like the Salvatore Ferragamo Zebra W Bag. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2450.
Just … no to any of them. So garish to my eye.
So happy that I stumbled upon the perfect python duffle LAST YEAR before I even knew it was a trend! I use to hate animal print but now I’m super obsessed. I finally find a leopard print wallet that I love and now I just need the loafers! Of course, If I could just have that Brera then all would be good in the world! And I’d NEVER get tired of it!
Love animal print!!
Love well placed animal print. I think one of the best and more affordable bags is a haircalf leopard bag from J.Crew! 🙂
I like my animal print in small doses, so my pick of the lot are the Jimmy Choo and the Alexander McQueen. With everything else, it’s just too much animal print.
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I loved that you used the clueless quote, till this day I still love Cher Horwitz and her closet. I agree that VBH bag is the best of the pack.
Alas, not all animal prints are created equal. Some designers really nail it – YSL, Celine, VBH mainly.
I love exotic prints. Done right they’re elegant, but done wrong they’re criminal. I wish Jimmy Choo would stop making handbags, or at least mark them down 90% to justify how they make them look.
I have a few animal print scarves. You can tie one to a compatible bag to achieve a similar look without popping for an entire bag.
I will take the YSL. It is beautiful.