BY DESIGN : Wild Things
The Look: Wild-animal prints on dresses, pants, skirts and accessories. Designers around the world have brought back leopards and zebras this season, but the newest species on the scene is the giraffe, usually done in black and white. The trend, as seen on runways in Europe, New York and Los Angeles, will continue for spring.
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How to Do It Big: Dolce & Gabbana, the design team from Milan, put a black-and-white giraffe print on their customers’ backs this fall with a cotton-and-viscose skimmer cut much like the dress Jackie O made famous in the ‘60s. Isabella Rossellini was photographed by the fashion press in the D&G; dress at a recent tribute for her famous father, Roberto, at Lincoln Center in New York. Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills and Maxfield in West Hollywood all carried the dress. You might find it, or special order it, at one of these stores.
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Total: $860.
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How to Do It for Less: Los Angeles designer Shelli Segal for Laundry, a nominee this year for California Designer of the Year, showed a spring version of the giraffe-print dress in rayon and faille. She also showed an entire collection of sportswear in the same print. It will hit the racks of major department stores near the end of January. Among the stores that carry the Laundry line extensively are Bullock’s citywide and Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.
Total: $170.
