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| Lauren Bacall |
Think ‘animal print’ in the context of fashion, and you’ll no doubt picture leopard spots. Bold, overstated, and able to look luxurious in the right hands and cheap in the wrong, leopard dominates the fashion plain. But for autumn/winter ‘18, designers have riffed on the rump of another wild animal that’s often overlooked: the zebra.
In the fashion world, this is another beast entirely. Thanks to the naturally monochromatic colour palette, zebra stripes are bold without being brassy. While leopard print is still ubiquitous this season, zebra stripes are somewhat rarer - so you’re unlikely to match half the restaurant of an evening.
Thanks to a dodgy patch in the ‘80s, many associate zebra print with ‘80s lycra clubwear and perms - but its fashion roots are far chicer. Its exoticism made it an early symbol of wealth and standing, the preserve of those who could afforded to wear the pelts of these beautiful wild animals, as they did then: thankfully, in this day and age we wear only homages, rather than real skins. In the ‘50s, risque beachgoers wore Tarzan and Jane inspired zebra swimwear; in the 60s, the stripes covered everything from evening dresses to hats. Zebra coats have won fans of tastemakers from Brigitte Bardot to Anna Wintour, editor in chief of American Vogue.
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