Snakes alive – this season’s python skins are the full monty

When choosing an animal print, women tend to plump for the most predatory option. Take from that what you will (or just take it with several grains of salt). Consider the leopard – stealthy, agile, quick to snap. Or the crocodile, with its flashy, deadly grin. These powerful animals are proof that a print can be confidence boosting – a psychological suit of armour.

It’s no surprise, then, that snake print is growing in popularity and that the most popular snake is the much maligned python. The poor pythonidae are not as dangerous as one might think – in life or on the runway. In fact, if you’re wearing python, there’s an excellent chance that the predator might be you.

Pythons have long been hunted for their hides and their population has been decimated. The global trade in python skin is often illegal, and those who want the real deal should be especially careful when sourcing, on both legal and ethical grounds. For everyone else, there’s no end to the close approximations in leather and synthetic fibres. No one will know the difference but you.

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Snake is the new go-to print for the kind of person who regards leopard as a neutral colour. It’s loud, yes. Flashy, definitely. But a good snake print will go with everything. While designers are quick to fling out top-to-toe looks that are practical only on the runway, it really comes into its own as an accessory – namely a shoe, boot or bag.

These accessories hit all the fashion sweet spots; just sufficiently rock’n’roll to add an edge to an outfit; serene enough to wear to the office. It’s an unexpectedly arresting animal print that cuts through the ubiquity of leopard.

The snake print camps can be split into two opposite, warring factions: the natural look, in tans, taupes and browns, or unreal colours, in tropical blues, greens and pinks.

The Natural Look

On the runway: As seen at Chloe (where the snakes were the real thing), python dresses were tempered with 1970s-inflected accessories. Mini saddlebags were designed with alternating elements of snakeskin – patchwork diamonds or as a neutral base to strips of brightly-coloured leather.
How to wear: As mentioned above, treat snake print like you would leopard – as a great accent. A simple court shoe will make an all-black outfit instantly chic. Even trainers are getting in on the act: Adidas's cult Superstar models have been reworked with textured snake print accents, and these slip-ons from Miss KG will uplift any outfit that needs a bit of an update. As with leopard print, a red lip is not essential, but highly recommended.

Otherwise, take a leaf out of Chloe designer Claire Waight-Keller’s book and wear your snake print with a bohemian, 1970s sensibility. Knee-high snake print boots are very now. Simple snake clutch bags will also sharpen up the soft edges of feminine, floaty outfits.

Unreal colour

On the runway: Miuccia Prada pulled another psychedelic tour de force out of the bag with a collection that was devoted to exotic animal print motifs. Python, houndstooth, crocodile and leopard were jumbled together in a look that was artfully messy, in unnatural acid-bright colours that looked bold and abstractly graphic.
How to wear: Leave all notions of taste at the door – bright, garish snake print is only for the foolish or the brave. These ASOS shoes are very demure with their block princess heel, but the print and the pom pom say otherwise.

At Topshop, a snake print bag in sunset hues is a tonic in a world of sad sacks. It’s useful to pair bright accessories with more subdued hues in the same colour family – for example, pair the bright blue shoes with an pair of slim indigo jeans or match the bag with a burgundy coat.

Then there’s the ankle boot, which will go with black skinny jeans no matter the colour. Wear with a worn-in T-shirt and a hint of a sneer, and that’s the perfect off-duty outfit sorted.