My heart is beating like a jungle drum

I thought I would hate it, but I really like all the tribal influences that were seen in the Spring '09 shows (and have finally trickled all the way down to Australia). Way better than boho, the tribal influence is making leopard print sexy, not skanky; brings leather, (faux) fur, beads and feathers together in a surprisingly fabulous way; and makes the costumes from the Broadway production of The Lion King look like haute couture.

Style.com thought that Louis Vuitton's Spring 2009 show had a Parisienne feel, but with all the orange and crazy shoes and leopard print details, I thought it had more than a hint of a fashionista on safari, and so it's my main inspiration for this particular aesthetic.

Wondering how to inject some tribal chic into your look?

♥ Use earthy tones. Don't go for fluro orange like those silly rave kids - use a beautiful burnt orange tone worn back with browns, blacks and creams. If it's worn properly it can look quite chic.
♥ Stack on the bangles, chains, rings and beads. I think I have championed this idea before but wear two stacks of bangles on each arm for optimum effect. Rachel Zoe calls them "excessories" for a reason. Wear them in gold, wood, ivory, and multicoloured beads. I have at least three huge animal rings that fit into this aesthetic perfectly.
♥ Feathers are fantastic. Little feather capelets, feather cap sleeves and feather skirts are popping up all over the place and... ahem... flying off the shelves.
♥ The crazy shoes seen at Louis Vuitton will not go away anytime shoes. The higher and more crazily embellished they are, the better. In Australia Siren are doing the poor lady's version of some of the runway shoes.
♥ As will always be advised on Gin in a Teacup, use leopard print sparingly. The bags in this show use only a few panels mixed back with bold colours and I think that is the key - to make it a finishing touch in your outfit and not to take any attention away from the clean, ready-to-trek-the-safari look you have going on.
♥ Go natural and earthy with your makeup. If you're wearing an orange top and a cream skirt, don't try and match your makeup by making your eyes bronze and lipstick brown and whatnot. Likewise, this look may call for a beautiful tanned bod but please don't make your skin tone orange to match the colours.
♥ Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Well, not so much bears, but you get the idea. I know in Diva especially there's lots of African-animal-inspired jewellery at the moment, and I am guessing that soon, any of your friendly neighbourhood chain stores will have shirts featuring the likeness of any number of wild animals (but please don't buy the leopard print WHAT DID WE JUST DISCUSS PLEASE PAY ATTENTION).
♥ Some particular pieces I would look at buying are some flattering shorts in cream or khaki; a burnt orange dress paired with a pair of leather, beaded shoes; a crisp white shirt; a beige trench; a feathered headband; some leather cuffs, gold bangles and animal rings, worn all at once!, and some leopard print accessories.
♥ Obviously, only wear this look if you're really feeling it. Don't feel pressured to buy a whole menagerie of tribal clothes if you really are more of a English-rose kinda gal. But, if you're willing to experiment, don't go crazy or it could have more of an Island of Doctor Moreau effect than anything else you may have hoped for.

Hope that has helped, my African Queens!

x

[EDIT: I just realised that this is my 200th post! Hooray! Thanks everyone for following, reading and hopefully enjoying my little old blog!]