Object of desire
If you ask me, leopard print is classic--you can wear it pretty much anytime, anywhere. Fashion editors, designers, and retailers, on the other hand, like to hype it as trendy every four or five years, so this year is once again the year of leopard print. I've already got a leopard-print Marc Jacobs faux fur jacket (I'm guessing it's from two years ago; I bought it on eBay) and a year-old See by Chloe leopard-print tank top; I'm kicking myself for not having bought one of the limited-edition Isaac Mizrahi leopard-print sweaters from the Red Hot Shop at Target. One could argue that that's enough leopard for one season, and I would have agreed until yesterday, when I got the new Neiman Marcus catalogue in the mail and saw these Manolo Blahnik animal-print pumps. I stared at them for about seven minutes, then wiped the drool from my jaw, tore the page out of the catalog, and tacked it up on my bulletin board, where I put stuff I want to buy (regardless of whether I can actually afford it). Picture them peeking out of jeans...with a pleated skirt and a cardigan...with a little black dress. See, they're classic! They're also $545; with shipping and tax, that comes to $614. Ouch. Looks like I'll be admiring the shoes on my bulletin board, not on my feet.