While browsing Nordstrom's accessories department with my mom and sister yesterday, I spied Kate Spade's cheerful summer bon shopper ($175) with its playful, leaping zebras. If you're as fanatical a reader of shelter magazines as I am, then no doubt you are also struck by the similarity between this print and Scalamandre's popular zebra wallpaper. While the lack of arrows (which I'm not a big fan of anyways -- it takes the safari-theme too literally) and the different colorways make this print not an exact replica of the wallpaper, it nevertheless bears an uncanny resemblance to the iconic paper.
To refresh your memory, here are a few examples of the pattern in question being used by two of my favorite designers:
And lest you think the similarity is purely coincidental, check out Jack and Kate Spade's very own guest bath (via Habitually Chic), which sports the wallpaper in a cheerful green:
I should add that it's entirely possible (even likely) that Kate Spade had permission from Scalamandre to use this print; I have no idea. Rather than making any legal accusations, I'm more interested in generating some discussion around whether or not you like the increased interrelationship between fashion and interior design in recent years. So what do you think? Is what's good on the runway good in the home? While I love the fact that runways and design showrooms now speak to each other (both literally and figuratively), I'll admit that I think the line isn't completely permeable. After all, fashion is (or at least should be) much more about trends and seasons: the "It" bag, the hot new colors for fall, etc. Interior design, on the other hand, should perhaps be more timeless and more impervious to trends. I think we've come a bit too far with disposable decorating, which is both fiscally and environmentally irresponsible. But I'd love to hear what you think on this one....
