An Ode to the Underdog of the Animal-Print Trend

by Virginia Yapp

Leopard, snake, zebra, tiger… At this point, we've collectively embraced so many animal prints that I've been starting to wonder how many more can possibly fit on Noah's F/W 18 ark. No longer being ushered forth calmly two by two, animal prints are being rushed onto store shelves as quickly as we fashion people are buying them, so it's no surprise we've started seeing a certain less-expected print moseying into the fold.

I'm talking, of course, about cow print (and its closely related cousin, dalmatian print). It makes sense, when you really think about it, given fashion's current fixation on all things Wild West. It's a bold pattern, to be sure, but the color scheme is neutral (no pink cow prints, at least as far as I'm aware of), meaning it's an easy one to work into your existing wardrobe without risking being arrested by the style sheriff. Keep reading to see and shop some of my favorite cow-print pieces.