Ape-Wild!

Fashion taps into sublime primitive drives with this season's simian offerings.

I wanna be like you-oo-oo,” sings the king of the monkeys to Mowgli, the boy in Disney’s classic animated feature, The Jungle Book. In the fashion world this season, the opposite seems to be true. Designers such as British cyber-punk newcomer Gareth Pugh (a sample of his Fall 2008 offerings are shown at right) and Giles Deacon, who was named best British designer last year, are off ering simian-style looks including long gorilla tunics, short swingy shifts, and belted jackets with fringe sleeves and fur epaulets that recall the evil monkey soldiers in The Wizard of Oz -- menacing headgear included. Are the designers harking back to our pre-prehistoric ancestral roots or simply over-embracing the green movement? Either way, the primate look is howling its way into the pop zeitgeist. Indeed, our favorite avant-gardist Tilda Swinton has endorsed it by donning a splendid furry number for her role as the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian that resembles the endangered Golden Lion Tamarin of the Amazon. Perhaps Pugh fan Kylie Minogue might even go ape for her stage shows. Chiquita bananas optional.