Photo:
Imaxtree/Tod’s; Courtesy of 16Arlington; Courtesy of Khaite
Animal prints have continuously cycled in and out of fashion. We saw snakeskin slither back into the conversation with the debut of fall/winter 2022 collections, and it’s stayed at the top of the trend chain since then. That continued relevance is partly due to how designers have made this print feel more modern. After all, snakeskin gained massive popularity in the ’80s, but we didn’t see that decade inform the reintroduction of this pattern.
Instead, we saw this motif molded into modern silhouettes—e.g., Khaite sent tailored blazers, leather trenches, oversize bombers, and even strapless knit dresses down the runway, all in snakeskin. At the same time, Tod’s had a longline coat in snakeskin and a perforated leather skirt. And then there was 16Arlington’s collection (a personal favorite), where snakeskin-print dresses, pants, cardigans, blouses, and coats were given that scale-like look through opaque sequins, satin, and patent finishes. It was, in many ways, evidence that this print has shed its formerly “tacky” status and has scaled up in the minds of the fashion set as sleeker than ever.
