Once upon a time I used to think fake fur just wasn’t good enough … if anything it said the owner was cheap and nasty. Don’t get me wrong … I’m not a gun toting hunter! Fake fur just seemed … well … really fake … and I’ve bought my fair share of the stuff too! I never had a problem with leopard print or snake skin print on fabrics however. Nor did I have a problem with using leather … indeed I’m probably the first person to ever use fish leather (yes there is such a thing) inserts on a swimsuit.
Today while reviewing the Victoria Secret Fall range for 2010 I found myself unimpressed with the animal prints. Well made lingerie, animal print and a beautiful body should scream out “buy me, buy me!” to the average target audience member … yet it didn’t. Had I switched sides? Had my recent extended playing of Mariah Carey songs destroyed any remaining testosterone? Had I just seen too much animal print over the years and found myself hoping for something more creative? I shrugged and moved to the next photo … it was exactly the same garment but no print. Ding ding! The garment spoke to me again. I didn’t even like the colour. I was thrown into the chaos of thinking that somewhere along the line I’d found even the illusion of animal skin products a huge turn off. Was it a momentary insanity (let’s face it I have my fair share of those moments) … had I been swayed by the tree huggers media campaigns? … or had I woken to a new epiphany (be fair, it could happen right?).
I typed animal print fashion into Google Images, watched the images flood down the screen, and suddenly the “ewww” hit me and I knew what it was …
Before I explain the “what” (at least for me), try it yourself and tell me how it affects you … surely I can’t be the only one feeling this?
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i feel you on the animal prints, i still love real fur but sometimes animal print is just kinda … ew, so played out, so overused, you see it and automatically think, couch and matching curtains at some old lady’s house that smells of too much perfume and powder.
Hi Flo … Veronica’s did have some pretty good prints if you liked the animal stuff (http://www.veronicatextiles.com.au/BOTH/OurDesigns/Our_Designs_Pages/Multi_Designs/animal_4.html) … no arguement from me. With sublimation available so easily now you could create some awesomely realistic stuff if you wanted to … photographic quality! The people that took over do subliprint I believe … I’ll see if I can find the link.
I’m sure I’ll get over myself soon … I used to adore animal print.
I’m not going to get into the psychology of the animal print subject, i’m just going to add my little side note:
Stuart, you live in Australia – home of the single best leopard print lycra ever!
Veronica Textiles (who were recently been bought by another company.. can’t remember the name though) have a great Leopard print named New Animal. It’s the perfect mix of bold print, bright colour and just a hint of trashiness.
As a long time Leopard print fan, i’ve searched high & low, and this is the only one i will use
Could it be that they all look like they were taken from an episode of the Flintstones? I’m not a fan of animal print either, with the exception of a TASTEFULLY used snake print. It is so overwhelming to my eye. The leopards and the zebra just make me want to hurl, yet my daughter loves the stuff.