gone tribal: neon + tribal prints

When it comes to personal style, I am a self-proclaimed girly-girl. I love all things pink, lacy, and of course sparkly. But while my usual purchases are soft and sweet pastels, lately a bolder trend has been catching my eye — the tribal trend.

Tribal patterns are relatively easy to wear. As long as you don’t go overboard and paint your face with mud or pierce any facial features with bones, you’ll pull off this look effortlessly. (And although it may look interesting and edgy on the runway, stay away from elaborate feathered headdresses. Leave that to legitimate tribal chiefs, unless you want to garner a lot of strange looks on the streets).

Left: dignified and majestic
Middle: edgy and editorial
Right: a little bit crazy

I like the idea of choosing one tribal element to stand out, and leaving the rest of the outfit fairly muted — think earth tones or bright whites to offset the colorful patterns. Although if you’re really looking to make a bold statement, try pairing this trend with another hot trend of the season, neon.

1. Southwest porcupine quill lime and gray necklace from Raw Earth Studio on etsy.com
2. Etro leather clutch
3. Sass and bide strapless dress
4. Tribal Illuminati nails from Zebber Custom Nails
5. Hand painted sticks from Bonjour Frenchie on etsy.com
6. Jeffrey Campbell wedges
7. Mara Hoffman tribal bustier

Two trends are better than one, as these pieces prove. The duo of bright neons and eclectic ethnic is far from boring and guaranteed to turn heads. However, avoid mixing in any other trends or prints with this blend — three trends is a crowd.