Fierce fashion: How to wear the urban safari trend this summer

By Katie Wright

It’s a jungle out there, so they say, and you’ll need to be suitably attired if you want to stand out from the crowd this season.

Designers ventured out on a sartorial safari for spring/summer 2021, with muted hues and utility details in both the menswear and womenswear collections.

This is not a literal interpretation, we hasten to add. As more and more fashion brands choose to ban fur and exotic animal skins, it’s clear no one wants to glorify big game hunting.

The safari trend is about taking inspiration from the cool, khaki-wearing style icons over the years, like actors Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in Out Of Africa, Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas In The Mist, and even Prince Charles, who has been rocking safari jackets since the Seventies.

How do you take the safari look and make it modern? The colour palette is key. Think khaki green, beige, stone, and sandy shades that you can mix and match.

For guys or girls, chinos or shorts with patch pockets nod to the trend and can be teamed with a T-shirt in a tonal hue.

Swishy shirtdresses offer a softer silhouette and can be dressed up with heels and statement jewellery (if you want to add a pop of colour), or dressed down with flat sandals.

Animal prints also work well with the urban jungle theme. Make a bold print dress the star of your outfit, or add interest to a neutral-toned ensemble with some fierce footwear.