What are the 5 animal print styles to wear in 2026 autumn/winter?

Once the first yellow leaf slowly hits the ground, fall fashion is quickly claiming its own rights, and rightfully so. The classics return with their inherent arrogance, that just fits into fashion like a glove, as if the whole world is theirs: animal prints, fur, boots, leather, burgundy, black, velvet… The culprits are the same each year. What’s changed one might ask? Year after year for the past 10 years runways are giving us the same trends, like a restaurant that is un-inspiringly serving the same dish over and over again.

So is there’s anything new in 2026 fall trends? And if so, what is it?

It’s the vibe.

(that’s what uncultured people sometimes say when words allude them. self deprecating irony is a form of intelligence so… ;)

Today we talk about the animal print as a trend in 2026 fall season… and what is this trend like today opposed to last year, or the 80’s, or the 90’s, or just last season? Is there anything new or are designers regurgitating the same looks for the past 15 years?

I might be a tad sarcastic and sometimes cynical (comes with old age you know), but my heart will forever be that of a 20 year old naive optimist, and it’s with this optimism and joie de vivre that I’m looking at 2026 Fall runway collections, the street style, the shops, the online retailers etc. – all are giving us newness this season. It’s a reinvention of the animal print trend as we know it.

The innovation lays in the cut, shape, print, mixing, and styling of the clothes with the ever-present and quite mandatory nostalgia of either the 80’s or the 90’s grunge glam era. Seeing the past be present feels more like an homage to fashion rather than a redundancy.

If the past saw animal print as leopard mostly, today we wear all the prints from all the animals that have prints. How fun is that? Zebras, bambis, ponies, snakes, cows – all animals are gorgeous and we are wearing their prints!

The past usually had its staples: the leopard fur coat was an 80’s icon, the leopard slip dress was a very 90’s glam grunge item, the zebra print sweater had a moment circa 2010, and then we had bits and pieces of mostly leopard print tops or accessories that would pop up once the rainy season claimed its rights. Animal print was always a staple mostly through its presence as a classic rather than a day to day outfit obsession.

2026 fall season has us smitten with animal print as a print on everything. With a new take: mixing prints is in again. And it’s fabulous and shocking, and looks AMAZING, daring, bold and incredibly confident.

Maximalism is back and animal print is ruling it!

So which animal prints do we wear in 2026 fall season?

The BAMBI

Oh my, oh my… the sweetest little animal print ever. It’s cute (without being too sweet), and it’s a new take on the classic print. Its yellow light brown shades make it more of a neutral which means it translates easily into a lot of outfits and various personal styles. A bambi print jacket goes well with either a casual jeans and top outfit (making it less basic) OR with a monochromatic look, a brown dress for office for example, or even a sequin dress for evening.

For skepticals there’s always the bambi print accessories such as a little handbag, a clutch, maybe a pair of shoes, a scarf… anything that doesn’t require a lot of commitment outfit wise and even financial wise (buying for trends you’re not sure of can be financially exhausting).

2. The ZEBRA

The star of the fall season 2026 is the zebra, due to its elegance mixed with chicness and statement. The black and white stripes are neutrals BUT they hold such power that every piece in this print is just a dazzling bold moment in personal style. It has edginess, a bit of punk, a bit of retro, and is quite glamours with the slightest effort.

A personal favourite piece in zebra print for me is the classic coat. Long. Elegant. Bold. Sexy. A bit punk, a bit glam… It’s perfection.

Another piece that looks great in this print is the pencil skirt which has been an influencer’s dream lately for its style statement and photogenic qualities.

3. The SNAKE

Much like its spirit animal snake print is subtle but incredibly powerful. It creates such a sophisticated outfit without doing much. 2026 gave us the light wash snake print jeans, the blazers in this print. The outcome is elegant, refined but also somewhat not too formal, yet quite classic at he same time. The runway gave us pretty retro madam like outfits inspired by this print, but street stylers are going for more fresh looks, and pair this print with white tees, casual shoes, cool sunnies, and laid back ensembles.

4. The LEOPARD

The classic print that has been around since our grandmas were teenagers and now our teenagers are probably wearing some piece in animal print – is the one print that will forever be iconic, trendy, classic, and make a statement. All in one. Depending on personal style and the animal print piece to wear it can range from classic, to elegant, to rock roll, grunge, minimal, formal, maximalist. It can be anything.

I love this print on a coat, a blazer and a head to toe suit. It’s a personal favourite.

5. The COW

It’s the coolest and most fun of the animal print trends. The cow print is trying to make a classic stay for a few seasons now, but 2026 might just be more its time than ever before. The past had the cow print alongside the cowboy trend, or more niche looks, but this fall cow prints are taking up more space. We see more pieces in cow print that actually look amazing and can be worn in a lot of fashion scenarios, but a cow print coat is iconic.

Whatever print floats your boat there’s a few take aways from this season’s trend and perhaps a more updated how to wear version.

2026 animal print is maximalist, so mixing and matching animal prints that might appear contrasting for an outfit will actually look eclectic and incredibly cool. The consensus is to pair animal print this season with ANYTHING.

However, if rules are your cup of tea here’s a few: animal print will always look great against a pop of colour (red, blue, green, pink, yellow are the go-to’s), jewellery looks incredibly gorgeous against zebra, snake and leopard print. Denim and white are a good combination with 0 fashion fuss, but a lot of style statement.

Street style inspo: