Trend debate: Is animal print here to stay?

Animal prints are selling like hotcakes on the high street, in countless shapes and sizes.  (Surely there aren’t any real green leopards?)

While some love it, others are becoming allergic. Which camp are you in?

Hooray!

Animal print is a firm staple for any design junkie. It has been around for decades and long may it linger – nothing says stylish more than a streak of leopard or a touch of zebra. Incorporating animal prints into the home is a sure-fire way of jazzing up an old sofa or tired-looking bed covers.

They are playful yet stylish, with a versatile palette and a big impact. Bringing out your wild side, a leopard skin throw tells the world you, too, know how to have fun.  The great thing about leopard or zebra print is that it goes with absolutely anything, and brings out bright colours such as fuchsia or purple perfectly.

So what if it is super trendy? The best things often are.

Please, no!

Once a trendy statement, leopard skin has plummeted from the style choice of an elite few to the staple of every kid in town. What was once chic and temptingly playful is now reminiscent of a cheap bar or nineties strip club.

It’s not original to work the animal print trend – it’s a cop out. There is a lot to be said for thinking outside the box  and trying something experimental and daring, that is not plastered all over the high street.

And while a streak of leopard can look quite nice, the variations on the animal print trend can be quite ridiculous. Fluorescent pink zebra mugs and rubber snakeskin leggings have no place in anyone’s home, unless it’s 1979.

It’s time to kill animal print once and for all.