Fashionistas pounce at hot new animal prints
A knee-length leopard-print fur coat by Joseph. [JoongAng Ilbo]
Ko So-young, a 37-year-old celebrity noted for her knack for dressing well, was seen in a leopard-print rabbit-fur coat at Incheon International Airport as she returned from a trip to Hawaii with her boyfriend, actor and heartthrob Jang Dong-gun.
The exclusive shots, which could not be used for this article due to copyright issues, were circulated on the Internet, raising curiosity among netizens about the origin of the waist-length coat worn by the long-time fashion icon. Online information-sharing portals were flooded with inquiries about the brand and some Internet shopping malls began promoting an unauthorized copy of the coat, which they advertised as the “Ko So-young coat.”
It turns out the fur coat is from Paris-based designer Isabel Marant’s Fall/Winter 2009 Collection. According to the brand’s Seoul branch, a few of the pieces imported here had already sold out late last year. The coat carries a price tag that is close to 5 million won ($4,300).
A golden tiger wristwatch from Swatch. Provided by Swatch Korea
“Leopard print can be used in a variety of fashion styles but a more refined style is achieved if it is used to accentuate the clothing,” said Lee Hyun-min, head of merchandising at Fashion Plus, an online shopping mall. “One thing to be cautious about with leopard prints is that you are not supposed to drape the print around the whole body. It’s going to be too much.”
With the advent of the Year of the Tiger, fashion merchandisers have come up with a flurry of leopard-print items from mufflers to scarves, watches, eyeglass frames, shoes and bags.
“Before, leopard prints seemed to be only for women aspiring to be seen as sexy or strong,” said Choi Hye-in, a 33-year-old expectant mom in southern Seoul. “But they are so in fashion now. I recently bought a pair of leopard-print flats decorated with a red ribbon. They are not excessively sexy or cute.”
Swatch, a Swiss watch producer, launched a gold tiger wristwatch with a limited import volume of 90 on Jan. 1. It has a bright yellow strap decorated with colorful lines reminiscent of a tiger skin, and a tiger is painted at the three o’clock position. It also has a tiger with a growling face crouching at the center.
Tigers have traditionally symbolized “courage, power and wealth,” the watch producer explains.
According to Ahn Soo-kyung, a researcher at A’digm, a fashion trend think tank, leopard prints are becoming some of the trendiest items in Korea, and around the world.
“The emergence of leopard prints was partly affected by the Year of the Tiger but it can be better associated with the ‘power-shoulder’ jackets that are hitting the streets. Both leopard prints and power-shoulder jackets represent strong femininity,” she said. While liquid or monochrome animal prints are in vogue overseas, Korean fashion aficionados prefer colors and patterns that are closer to nature, the researcher added.
By Seo Ji-eun [spring@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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