How to wear snakeskin

THE jungle is rich territory for designers and Jackie Collins when it comes to dressing.

Roberto Cavalli snakeskin bikini

THE jungle is rich territory for designers and Jackie Collins when it comes to dressing, with leopard, tiger and zebra prints on high rotation every season.

In recent years, snakeskin has charmed New York's young guns with Thakoon Panichgul and Joseph Altuzarra exploring the graphic appeal of python prints.

For a long time, clothing connoisseurs were put off by the heavy-handed use of reptile prints, with crocodile embossing and rigid rattlesnake appearing on stiff leather accessories such as clutches and high heels but snakeskin is far subtler now. Softer fabrics have been given the snakeskin treatment, with the print lightening up sheer dresses, swimsuits and summer pants. Wearing real python might attract the ire of animal-rights campaigners but mock croc, faux snakeskin and fabric prints evoke a less venomous response and still carry a high fashion bite.

Step one

ACCESSORIES are the gateway to this trend and Australian designer Rachael Ruddick offers a peachy and pretty approach to snakeskin with her Le Capucine clutch in watersnake (rachaelruddick.com, $230) .

Don't restrict reptile prints to nights on the town, slithering past wine bar predators. Think of them as a neutral to be mixed into other styles.

Wear python print heels with a bone shift dress or grab a snakeskin clutch or tote the next time you're striding out of the house in jeans and a classic white T-shirt.

Snakeskin is also adding sex appeal to swimwear. Zimmermann offer a subtler alternative to cheetah-print one-pieces with their asymmetric Flourishing Snake bikini (zimmermannwear.com, $220). The local label also has a rashie in the same print for snake-loving surfer types. Italian Roberto Cavalli uses snakeskin the way other designers use black. In his collection for Target, on sale today, Cavalli makes use of his signature print in a traditional bikini cut (target.com.au/designersfortarget, $59).

Step two

TAKE the trend to the next level by looking for dresses and separates in reptile prints. Willow has embraced crocodile print with her resort collection, taking it to extremes with foil scales stamped on to leather but the strongest pieces are dresses, skirts and pants that billow with images of draped hides.

Batwing blouses and harem pants are executed in the print but it's the wide-legged pants (willowltd.com, $495) and cowl neck top ($395) that really go in for the kill. Wear the pants with a black blouse or the top with black pants to strip the look back, but packing the prints together creates a second skin for the truly stylish.

To come

START stocking up on snake prints in time for Chinese New Year in February when we begin the year of the snake.

You have 12 months to really work the trend until you break out the jodhpurs in time for the year of the horse in 2014.