Year of the Zebra: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once!

The Optical Zebra display at the Roger Vivier Fall 2024 2025 Presentation in Paris, rogervivier.com

Patterns in fashion come and go, some more than others. One pattern that never seems to go out of style is animal print. Animal print has a long and vibrant history. Whether leopard or zebra, these prints have been called several other names, including fierce, extravagant, and powerful.

In many African cultures, the zebra is revered for its symbolic representation of balance, harmony, and unity. The black and white stripes are often seen as a reflection of the dualities and interconnectedness of life, such as light and darkness, yin and yang, and good and evil.

Lauren Bacall and Jason Robards Jr. seated on Club El Morocco’s instantly recognizable zebra covered banquettes, 1962, dailymail.co.uk

Within the fashion universe, zebra is revered for its perpetual, go-with-everything chic. The POW of black and white always packs a wallop, regardless of the season. Besides making a wild wardrobe staple and spicing interior design styles, zebra has held its own.

Elie Saab black and white zebra print a line maxi dress, $5165, modaoperandi.com

Right now, everywhere I look, I see black-and-white graphic zebras and zebra prints. Zebra is undoubtedly having “a moment”! In countless iterations, there are zebra-printed trench coats, blazers, caftans, evening gowns, hostess dresses, maxi skirts, shirt dresses, shoes, and handbags.

Vintage Timmy Woods Zebra Handbag, $220, ebay

There are zebra-striped earrings, bracelets with zebra heads, bags that take the form of an actual zebra, stripes, mane, and all.

Vintage Ceramic Zebra Head Cuff, etsy.com $280

Marc Jacobs’ newly released fall 2024 ad campaign proves that almost nothing looks better with zebra than color, especially red. Long talons, optional!

Marc Jacobs Fall 2024 Ad Campaign starring Cardi B

When Gino Circiello, Guy Avventuriero, and Emilio Torre opened Gino of Capri, lovingly known as “Gino’s,” an Italian restaurant on New York City’s Lexington Avenue, in 1945, Circiello asked his friend Valentino Crescenzi to design something dashing for the walls. The results: 314 leaping zebras set against spaghetti-sauce red punctuated with tiny flying arrows.

Scalamandré restored the zebra wall covering this Upper East Side institution in the 1970s after it was destroyed in a fire. Flora Scalamandré, wife of Franco Scalamandré, free-handed the signature motif that would come to be known as the iconic Zebras design.

Scalamandré wallpaper originally designed for NYC restaurant, Gino’s of Capri

Gino’s closed in 2010, but their highly recognizable wallpaper lives on. It has grown in color offerings, expanded to fabric for both indoor and outdoor use, and is available on various grounds such as vinyl wallcovering and grasscloth.

“Zebra is my basic!” exclaims Rory Gevis. The artist, painter, and Creative Director of M.A.C. Cosmetics is a vowed zebra aficionado and longtime fan of Scalamandré’s iconic zebra-printed pillows.

Rory Gevis wears a zebra printed blazer standing next to her zebra wallpaper

The walls of Rory’s chic apartment are covered in black and white zebra wallpaper, and porcelain zebra sculptures are scattered around the living room. Gevis incorporates black and white zebra prints and zebras into her artwork and often wears graphic patterns.

Thanks to the Summer Olympics, the world’s eyes are focused on sports, athletics, and fashion. Roger Vivier, founded in 1937, is a footwear label that symbolizes Parisian allure and feminine elegance.

“Optical art is an homage to Roger Vivier and this moment in the late sixties when it completely changed his point of view. Vivier became obsessed with things like stripes, black and white, and zebra. It’s a moment that I have never explored with Roger Vivier until today.” – Gherardo Felloni, Roger Vivier Creative Director

Zebra print hair calf over the knee boots at the Roger Vivier Fall Winter 2024 2025 presentation, rogervivier.com

Roger Vivier’s Creative director, Gherardo Felloni, presented his fall-winter 2024/2025 collection, dubbed Vivier Op-tical, during Paris Fashion Week in March. Gherardo drew on the Maison’s archives to re-imagine pieces reminiscent of the 1960s Op Art movement but with a new contemporary twist.

Roger Vivier creative director Gerardo Falloni’s mood boards

The Optical Zebra salon, set up in a hotel particular, was resplendent in scarlet and royal purple with layered archways and off-kilter stacked cylindrical columns. The centerpiece is a monumental zebra sculpture that pays homage to Monsieur Vivier’s zebra pattern paper collages from the late 1960’s. Refer to the lead photo.

Jacquemus Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear, Photo by Launchmetrics Spotlight for The Impression

French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus incorporates a graphic black and white zebra pattern throughout his fall 2024 ready-to-wear “La Casa” collection for men and women. The exclusive outdoor presentation, held on the Island of Capri in June, marks the 15th anniversary of his eponymous brand, with 40 guests including muse Gwyneth Paltrow and Dua Lipa.

Jacquemus Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear, Photo by Launchmetrics Spotlight for The Impression

Simon focuses on a minimalist silhouette and luxurious fabrics (leather, suede, hair calf). Vibrant colors like sky blue, red, yellow, and bright sage are effectively interspersed with graphic black and white zebra prints that take the form of maxi coats, pencil skirts, flyway tops, shoes, and bags. As always, accessories add an indispensable touch to a Jacquemus collection.

“The Museum at F.I.T. is delighted to honor Simon Porte Jacquemus, the visionary young designer whose fashions are as sunny and beautiful as his native region in the South of France. “His love of art and natural beauty come through in all his work.” Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, The Museum at F.I.T.

Jacquemus Le Chiquito Moyen zebra printed hair calf bag, $1060, jacquemus.com

Jacquemus is set to receive the Couture Council’s Artistry in Fashion award on Wednesday, September 4rd, at The David Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center. If you’re planning to attend and wondering what to wear to bridge the gap between summer and fall, you might consider something in graphic black and white zebra. Even something as small as a bag can be highly impactful.

Latest Comments:

1. 

   Fashion changes with the times, and ways to present it must change creatively too.

2. 

   Let his name live on for what HE designed so he can rest in peace.

3. 

   Marilyn! What a wonderful and informative article you have written. I so loved Bendels, although (in my opinion) it was…

4. 

   Merci beaucoup for the article!

5. 

   Thank you for featuring me and my designs in your article! What a lovely event and how many gorgeous ensembles!