Party Animals, It’s Your Time: Animal Print Is In

Cowboys and cowgirls, come around. The animal print trend is already a major style move, and summer hasn’t even officially started. Let’s call it an obvious extension of the cowboy hats and the country western vibes, but let’s be real, the culture is always looking for excuse to put on a pair of cheetah print anything.

We definitely predicted that animal prints would be back, specifically for Coachella, a few weeks ago. But seeing the looks coming out of Coachella right now, I’m not ashamed to say I underestimated the fervor. It was everywhere. Animal print hot pants, hats, coats. Snake print, cow print, leopard print. And then it all started to make sense. Just last week, Rihanna was seen wearing the most over-the-top, animal print high–glam diva outfit walking out of The Nice Guy in LA. Cool girl designer Marine Serre sent like a dozen snake print looks down their most recent runway. We knew the fur conversation was happening. There was the Indie Sleaze thing. That is to say, the writing was on the damn wall.

This timing feels a bit kismet, as one of our fashion greats, Roberto Cavalli died this weekend. He was known for his irreverence to manners in fashion and his celebration of sexiness, and notably, he loved and was known for his work with animal print. It’s hard to call it a prediction because it feels more like an inevitability, but I foresee this enthusiasm for animal print extending through the end of year and into the next, as the next Roberto Cavalli collection will likely focus on a celebration of his legacy.