WINTER WARMS THEWILD THINGS

Styles are heading where the wild things are this autumn/winter with a reverence for nature like never seen before in the still rising trends of fur fashion.

Animal prints, patterns and motifs have infiltrated the ranks of couture and ready-to-wear, alongside an untamed flora in boutique urban street wear and high street fashions. While horsehair has cantered on to shoe styles and snakeskin has slithered on to accessories, the fur trade has supplied the inspiration for this season’s must-have coats.

Beating the jungle drums for outerwear, fur fashion is dominating this autumn/winter’s designs for coats and jackets, softly embracing with its sumptuous feel and innate warmth from the highest fashion house into the high street. Three quarter length coats go collar-less with MSGM and their crew neck, panelled leopard print with leather arms and concealed fastening or Matthew Williamson’s all over rabbit fur, with both versatile enough to be worn as an overcoat or hold their own with leggings. Invoking a 50’s vibe with full shearling showing classic lines are Priestley's Vintage and their Ava and Sophia in big cat print or Liska get contemporary with their ribbed belted mink fur coat with fold-over funnel neck in deep purple. Short coats cropped at the waist with a full volume fur in soothing neutrals see Inès & Maréchal fox fur in taupe sitting petitely with crew neck, Linea’s Apfel brings graduated tones over fitted style with collar and Anna Sui adds textured florals over dyed rabbit in a high waist jacket.

Keeping trim, Burberry Prorsum add a removable black rabbit fur to the wide collars of their double-breasted wool blend coat, as does Michael by Michael Kors on his cashmere coat. Missguided go bold in blazers with leopard prints on their Maryellen range and take it to the max with a range of maxi dresses and jumpsuits to match. Getting snugly in gilets with leather combinations are Ash who add a black wolf fur front while Kevandbelle go reversible with their Olive Fur Vest Coat in rabbit.

Tops go soft with Joseph’s silver fox fur and rabbit Bonham and get bold in botanics from Ted Baker or Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania range. Florals bloom on dresses from Motel Rocks or Paul by Paul Smith and on skirts from Rare Fashion in velvet and ruched from Parisian label Sessun, skipping happily in from summer to brighten up those autumn and winter months. Select get leopard on their leggings or snakey on tapered leg trousers and even nightwear follows its animal instinct with pyjama sets from La Senza and Charter Club.

Walking in to the wild, Jaeger and Lanvin serenely purr on ballet pumps, Leather Crown bite back with sneakers and Irregular Choice play the field with their court shoe in cow print, while Jeffrey Campbell and Giuseppi Zanotti roar on Elevator zebra stripe platforms in orange and black or calf hair boots in white, brown and black respectively.