where's waldo?

It's a funny thing, this animal print trend right now: we all know it's not new, I mean, we've seen leopard spots & zebra stripes all thru the 20th century - every era had them - I mean, come to think of it, CAVE MEN really rocked that look - but right now, there's such a quirky originality to the way it's used. And then when you start adding animal imagery to the mix... anyway, came across these shots from the last day of fashion week, there was lots of hanging around & packing up, and I started playing a kind of Where's Waldo game in my head. How many instances of leopard prints do YOU spot?

Look how many trends are crammed into these rather cluttered compositions. Apart from sequins, I think we've got just about every look covered.

jungle fever

Portobello Road, London.

An abundance of black, a good dose of leather, leggings, a sprinkle of brass and gold details, and a pinch of animal print: the perfect recipe for the Fall 2009 Season. (And of course, a little blackberry in one's ear. I am so looking forward to the time when this looks dated, because we've all got little teeny tiny phones in our ears. Like contacts. I'm sure someone's working on it, as we speak).

What I love about this year is how we're balancing the bling with being green: if one wants the luxury of fur, one goes vintage ('I didn't kill it, it was already dead') or faux. And the use of animal print on fabric or knit is such a sweet way to stay chic yet socially conscious. So there's just the leather factor. I was blown away by how Stella McCartney, a passionate vegetarian, has done such gorgeous non-leather shoes. It's all going in the right direction. How do you stand on the real/faux debate?

More fun fur shots coming up. Must fly! xoxo