When I saw that cow print (and cowhide) was making a comeback for fall 2020, I instantly flashed back to the early 2000’s when it was a thing and came in different color options. My mom and I definitely had some green cow print matching purses (why? I don’t know chile).
This time around, we’re seeing cow print pop up on a lot of accessories like purses, fashion pieces like bodysuits, tops, dresses, and jackets, along with my personal favorite: shoes and boots. While animal print never goes out of style, cow print is definitely an animal print that’s a bit more adventurous and out there. One has to strike a balance between fashion-forward, and “Girl, what you got on?”
Cow Print v.s. Cow Hide
To get more of a luxe and elevated look, I personally prefer (faux) cowhide. It’s the same pattern as cow print, however, it’s made to mimic the look of the actual animal skin. Bonus points if it’s a tan, cream, and brown color combo, as that’s super easy to pair with neutrals and gold metallic accents to elevate your look. Cow print, is basically just the printed pattern on any item. The boots I’m wearing are cow print, but the material elevates the look.
How To Wear A Bold Non-Traditional Print
With a bold and non-traditional print like this, my favorite way to work it into my wardrobe is as either a shoe, boot, or purse. It allows me to wear the print as a statement piece, without the print wearing me. For this outfit, I wanted to wear a relaxed fall look that was feminine, cozy, and subtly sexy.
Anytime I’m going to wear a non-traditional print in a bold way, I like for it to be a traditionally sexy silhouette. Like a thigh-high boot, a figure-hugging skirt, a closed-toe pump, or a bodycon dress. I find that the best way to make it work is to use the pattern as an unexpected twist on a classic heavy-hitter style.
Why This Works
I styled this grey cable knit sweater from H&M as a sweaterdress and wore it over a slightly oversized white collared shirt from Zara (currently not available, as I featured it in a previous haul video. I’m sharing a similar option below though!). What makes this work with the boots, is the fact that both the sweater and shirt are neutral basics. This means that they don’t compete with the thigh-high boots. The cable knit of the sweater, again adds some visual interest without competing.
The cow print boots I’m rocking are the Vava Thigh High Boots by Steve Madden in Brown/Tan. They come in a plethora of colors and patterns. I will note that I have thick thighs and muscular calves (S/O to 11 years of ballet!), and so the boots only fit over my bare legs and not over jeans. Other than that, the boots are true to size. For added visual interest, I clipped together two of my chain link bracelets from the men’s section at H&M, and wore them as a necklace.
In a perfect world, I would have styled this outfit with a brown suede Bottega Veneta cassete bag.
Until I find a budget-friendly dupe (for the suede version, but check out these dupe options for the bag style itself here on Amazon) any brown suede medium-sized purse would have worked well.
Have you purchased any cow print pieces for fall? If so, how are you rocking the print? Let me know in the comments below!
Stylishly Yours,
Theresa Seyi
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