Christian Dior fall 2011 haute couture, IMAXTREE

And the show goes on—couture that is. In Paris this week, we saw the first Christian Dior haute couture collection sans John Galliano. 51-year-old Bill Gaytten—head of the label’s studio who took a bow with his assistant, Susanna Venegas, at the end of the show—must have rubbed off on Lauren Conrad with the whole dyeing frenzy. OK, it’s rubbing on us, too! Animal prints itself are bold in its true colors. Go the extra mile and put a dab of color on your fur, hair, and uh, pretty much anything you can get your hands on. The animal print trend will never die out, but like spicing up a plain tee with jewels, adding a little color brings the look to life. Diane von Furstenberg is one of few that brings print to the runway since its early years and buyers from all over welcomes them into their stores—see the hot black and yellow slip heels from bluefly.com below! Christian Dior fall 2011 haute couture collection was all over the place with a mix of pastels, layered frills, choppy sequins and more. But that pink-striped zebra jacket and blue giraffe printed skirt stood out from the monstrosity. Here’s what to consider if you want to dip into the trend:

Longevity: Animal prints will come and go, and come back again. Just because it’s a pink zebra you see walking off the racks one year, doesn’t mean it won’t make a stampede back into our closets. Black and white is a classic, but there’s more fun over the rainbow. It’s here to stay—are you bold enough to rock it?

Wearability: As with any bold prints and colors, wear with caution. You don’t want to end up looking like a walking one-woman circus act. Choose one colored print and let the rest of your apparel fall within the same color palette of that print. Minimize jewels, too, the prints already have so much going on.

Personality: Nothing screams personality than animal print and color. The quiet, shy girl will never be caught wearing the exotic prints. But the confident, cool fashionista will strut the streets in a maxi-colored printed dress like the floor was her runway!

Save vs. Splurge?: Splurge. It is so easy to make animal prints look cheap. There are many leopard prints out there that look like a bunch of distorted dots than leopard fur. Although there are select places to look for affordable colored prints, I would play it safe and purchase from a label I can trust, like Miss Sixty (see the gorgeous sequin dress below). Here’s how to get the look:

Splurge Options:

Photo: Courtesy of Nordstrom. Diane von Furstenberg ‘Cascadia’ Silk Blouse, $245, Nordstrom

Photo: Courtesy of Bluefly. Eli Tahari Orange Leopard Patent ‘Penelope’ Ballet Flats, $119, Bluefly

Photo: Courtesy of Asos. Miss Sixty Sequin Animal Backless Dress, $118, Asos

Photo: Courtesy of Bluefly. Dolce & Gabbana Black and Yellow Leopard Printed Patent Leather Slides, $380, Bluefly

Photo: Courtesy of Bluefly. Tory Burch Leopard and Berry Print Silk Chiffon Scarf, $137, Bluefly

Save Options:

Photo: Courtesy of Macys. Rampage Sleeveless Scoop Animal Printed Neck Cut-Out Tie Tank, $24, Macys

Photo: Courtesy of Kensie. Kensie Animal Print Dress with Belt, $50, Kensie

Photo: Courtesy of Alloy. Alloy Animal Blouson, $15, Alloy

Photo: Courtesy of Forever 21. Forever 21 Animal Spots Short, $16, Forever 21

Photo: Courtesy of Asos. Asos Animal Print Sweater, $61, Asos

Photo: Courtesy of Hot Topic. Hot Topic Red Quilted Leopard Wristlet, $10, Hot Topic