On a cultural level, fashion has always reflected the times.  But designers appear to be drawing their influences from  more altruistic reflection of a larger, global community these days, pulling every cultural norm and icon into their collections possible.

The result: tribal pendants from Africa as the perfect club wear accessory; saris from Indonesia over jeans for a casual hobo-chic look with color; feathers and beads from India and South Pacific Islands as accessories for fancy head wear and even sandals.

If you’ve got a hankering for the perfect outfit to go with that new Mayan peace necklace you’ve purchased, or looking for a way to show off your Indian wedding anklets from, here are a few tips for how to go tribal in style from the folks at Suite101.com:

• Let some wildlife into your closet by tastefully tossing in a few splashes of animal print; black-and-white wonky zebra stripes and giraffe prints are especially hot, as are snakeskin, leopard and cheetah spots.
• Spice up your style by wearing bright, eye-popping colors – like fuchsia, purple, vermillion orange, fire engine red, and emerald green – and large-scale daring abstract prints.
• Add some ethnic flavor to your vacation wardrobe with a dress, blouse, kaftan, tunic or scarf in an exotic and bold African or Asian print.
• Look for African geometric prints or a dazzling, multicolored West African kente cloth. Imitate this basket weave by picking a fabric with a kente-style print or track down beautiful zigzag patterns of Asian ikat weaves.
• Feathers and beads are a fabulous and dramatic way to embellish the tribal look.
• To accessorize the tribal style, look for wooden jewelry, chunky leather pendants or necklaces and bracelets, large hoop earrings, and stacks of bangles. Top it off with a straw hat or go all out and wrap up an African headdress or East Indian turban.
• Take some inspiration from the Indian sari and Japanese kimono next time you’re looking for a formal outfit. Raw silk, bold, rich colors, intricate embroidery and unique wrapping will give you a chic, sophisticated look that sets you apart from the crowd.

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 3:38 pm and is filed under Fashion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.