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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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Style Safari: Giraffe Sightings are on the Rise

Every season has its signature animal motif: Last fall, the usually sly fox was showing its furry little face everywhere—and we've seen squirrels, robins and owls in the past. This spring, if Louis Vuitton’s runway show, British designer Mark Lupfer’s tongue-in-cheek knitwear creations or the entirety of Anthropologie’s March catalog are any indication, the season belongs to giraffe designs.

Giraffe Sightings in Fashion and Home Decor

  • New York-based event planner Juliet Totten added a papier-mache giraffe mount to the already whimsical items that scatter her mantle. (Image courtesy of Design Sponge.)

  • Designer Jonathan Adler's giraffe lamp is playful and sophisticated. (Image courtesy of Ohdeeoh)

  • Table featuring giraffe candlesticks. (Image courtesy of Anthropologie March catalog.)

  • Ginnifer Goodwin in Louis Vuitton at the Tom Ford Beverly Hills flagship store opening in February. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

  • Sophia Costas giraffe print scarf. Image courtesy of Sophia Costas.

  • Markus Lupfer's sequin embroidered sweater. (Image courtesy of Markus Lupfer.)

  • Anthropologie's stackable giraffe planters. (Image courtesy of Anthropologie.)


Whether it’s a direct extension of the bigger safari design trend that’s happening right now, or simply a nod to the giraffe’s playful form and graphic pattern, is up for debate. But what isn’t, is the fact that the giraffe has reared its rather cute head—not to mention its extra-long neck—in both fashion trends and interior design.

New York-based Juliet Totten—part owner of boutique floral and event design firm Poppies and Posies—added a papier-mache giraffe mount to the already whimsical items that scatter her mantle. (It's so much sweeter than a stag head!) Jonathan Adler designed a cheeky table lamp that features a giraffe’s head playfully poking out the top of the shade. And the Anthropologie design team channeled the African creature for everything from giraffe planters to doorknockers to giraffe candlesticks.

But when it comes to fashion trends, everyone seems to be under the same notion, said Noria Morales, New York editor of FabSugar: “Go big, go bold, and have fun with it. You can tell that all the designers who embraced the giraffe in their designs meant for it to be worn as a statement piece.” Case in point: Louis Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs' giraffe print spanned the entire length of a luxe silk suit—which Jennifer Goodwin was recently spotted wearing a portion of—while Mark Lupfer constructed the giraffe on his oversized sweater entirely out of sequins.

And on eBay auctions, there are over 11,000 online listings for giraffe items in the Fashion category and over 3,800 in the Home & Garden category.

The creature itself maybe a gentle giant, but the giraffe motif has taken a ferocious bite out of the fashion and design world for spring.

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