Google leopard prints and fashion and you’d most likely end up with images of old Hollywood starlets like Gene Tierney, Bette Davis, and Louise Glaum, or women like Debbie Harry, Catherine Deneuve, and Audrey Hepburn. No shade intended, but there’s something disconcerting when the fashion references to a trendy look all centre around women of a certain vintage. Thankfully, the return of the leopard print — and, animal prints in general — have gone into an evolutionary state. There is the still the non-demure side of these prints which we love, but the patterns are now featured on more directional cuts and contemporary items.
We love how Raf Simons‘ ocelot coat at Calvin Klein 205W39NYC comes with such exaggerated shoulders, it looks almost like armour. Ditto Max Mara’s smokey leopard jacket in a boxy cut and worn with such nonchalance over a leather bomber, pencil skirt, and pants (yep, the styling at the Italian house for Fall is on point). Elsewhere, the leopard print springs up at Tom Ford in a multitude of acid hues on clothes that feel apropos to street gear. But the trend doesn’t just stop at just the big cats — Danish label Ganni showed some of the quirkiest ensembles festooned with zebra prints, while the same pattern given the rhinestone-studded treatment at Saint Laurent exudes after-hours glamour.
Here, we curate our own list of animal-print items that look far from dated.
