Forget Leopard—These Lesser-Known Animal Prints Took Over New York Fashion Week

No other animal print can dethrone leopard, with too many disciples of an iconic calibre (Pat Butcher, Cookie Lyon, Samantha Jones, to name but a few) and so much exposure that, by now, it’s practically considered a neutral. But on the streets outside New York Fashion Week, that didn’t stop other alternative, prints getting a serious showing on some of the city’s most stylish women, from the lesser-spotted fawn to Dalmatian.

Not only do these alternatives quite literally make passers-by look twice—as they wonder if those splotches really are giraffe or perhaps cowhide—but wearing a somewhat lesser-spotted species than leopard will mean that it always stands out, which, at the end of the day, should be any animal print’s MO.

Standing out was definitely the memo in New York. The Cut‘s Lindsey Peoples led the charge, wearing a coat that resembled a lynx, plus a snake-print handbag. Who said you can’t mix reptile with mammal?

Another show-goer followed a similar formula, with cow-print outerwear—long enough to just touch her ankle—and an outfit underneath that complemented its cream-and-brown palette.

But with so little time until spring, another street-styler’s approach might be more expedient. Stylist Jessica Willis gave an otherwise pared-down look—a khaki jacket, black trousers and soft-leather boots—some extra flavour with an animal-print accessory, in this case a tiger-striped bucket bag.

There’s evidence that shoppers are fully on board with alt prints, too. M&S’ snow-leopard jacket is almost out of stock online (I’ve seen it out in the wild and, can confirm, it’s good), while cowhide is flying off the shelves at AllSaints, from a miniskirt to a jacket to jeans.