Posted by Samantha Sung DE Admin
on October 01, 2018
This season, you can forget everything you’ve been told about investing in a simple set of wardrobe basics, because animal print has been dubbed “the new neutral.” Khaki trench coats and little black dresses are being tossed aside for leopard spots, zebra stripes, and snakeskin, which have flooded our Instagram feeds, shopping sites, and quotidian street corners. But why the sudden interest in all things animal?
For decades, the furry leopard print coat has been considered the epitome of chic, from the swing-cut style Jackie Kennedy made waves with in 1962 to the many versions Kate Moss has been photographed in over the years. Certainly not restricted to furry outerwear, though, Azzedine Alaïa built his entire Fall 1991 collection around cheetah knitwear, and Shania Twain made music video history when she dressed in head-to-toe leopard for her 1997 hit “That Don’t Impress Me Much.” Somehow, animal spots pair well with almost everything, adding instant excitement to a look. Vogue Market Editor Alexandra Gurvitch explains that she uses jungle prints “to liven up my otherwise all black uniform.”
For Fall 2018, designers offered fresh takes on a variety of animal-inspired styles. Tom Ford paired colorful cheetah halter dresses with matching tights and embellished his leopard suits with sequins. Dolce & Gabbana experimented with everything from zebra to tiger, while newcomer Miaou introduced sportier options in cheetah and snake. With so many options to choose from, why limit yourself to just one? Here, five different ways to wear head-to-toe animal print this season, as tested by this Vogue writer.
For my first look, I wanted to re-create Arthur Elgort’s photo of Claudia Schiffer from a 1992 issue of Vogue, so I went all out with the leopard. After all, isn’t brown leopard what everyone thinks of when animal print is mentioned? Luckily, J.Crew had the perfect umbrella, and I managed to find the only animal print beret online by the brand Brixton. Samantha Sung offers a super-chic nylon leopard trenchcoat, and to top it all off, I added a Dolce & Gabbana box purse. This look received some interesting reactions by passersby and friends. “You look like my grandmother,” someone commented. I would 100 percent wear it again, though.
One of my go-to brands for animal print is Rixo London, so it was tough deciding on just one item to wear from them. I eventually settled on an emerald green tiger-printed evening dress from its upcoming fall collection. Coincidentally, it contrasted well with my red hair. Since the dress was so colorful and voluminous, I kept accessories to a bare minimum, opting for simple Dalmatian-spot mules by Gianvito Rossi. “Straight out of Dynasty,” Gurvitch said, referencing the TV show’s maximalist 1980s fashion.
This was my casual look (casual for me, at least). Often overlooked, zebra is a great alternative to leopard and cheetah prints and is perfect for those who prefer to dress in subtle shades of black and white. Topshop always has a great selection of zebra separates, which I layered under a neutral-toned zebra jacket from Roberto Cavalli’s Spring 2018 collection. To dress things up a little, I added a Manolo Blahnik zebra-printed kitten-heel mule.
When I came across this leopard dress on Farfetch by the Ibiza-based brand De La Vali, I knew I needed it in my life. Maybe it was the mandarin collar or the fact that it fit like a glove, but it was love at first sight. I decided to put a late-’90s spin on the overall look with platform sandals by Aquazzura and leopard framed sunglasses from Crap Eyewear. (I will not regret joining in on the small sunglasses trend.) And come fall, this dress could just as easily be worn with black tights and boots.
I would describe my everyday style as “mod.” A statement A-line coat, a fun pair of tights, and a block heel pump is my unofficial uniform. If I could dress in head-to-toe Courrèges every day I would. So this tiger-printed frock by Red Valentino and matching Wolford tights fit the bill perfectly. To keep this look somewhat toned down, I paired it with simple black patent Mary Janes from Carel.
