Trend Alert - Colorful Leopard Prints

From New York Times Style Section, May 31, 2009

Regarded, for the most part, as a fall wardrobe staple, leopard print is changing its spots. This season it is popping up all over the place, in a slew of bright summery hues: bubblegum pink and turquoise at Lanvin (pictured here on the Teen Vogue editor Amy Astley, far left); lavender and acid yellow at Just Cavalli; electric blue at Temperley. For her latest Topshop collection, which arrived in the New York store on May 25, Kate Moss, near left, did a swingy cocktail dress in a baby blue variation.

“There must be something in the air,” said Ulrika Lundgren, the stylist turned designer behind the Swedish label Rika. Her spring collection includes easy cotton pieces punched up in a hot pink leopard print. “I wanted to do it, but not in a classic way. I wanted to give it a modern twist — something a little rock ’n’ roll.” Compared with, say, Roberto Cavalli, and his clash of wild prints, Ms. Lundgren prefers to keep the rest of the outfit simple: denim shorts and a pair of high heels. “I’m Swedish,” she explained.