Anya Taylor-Joy’s Trippy Leopard Skirt Morphs From Spots to Fringe

Trends move fast, but Anya Taylor-Joy moves faster. In New York City today, the actor stepped out in a full look that just had its runway premiere less than two weeks ago. Fresh from one of the season’s most talked-about designer debuts, the ensemble tapped squarely into fashion’s ongoing animal print renaissance.

Taylor-Joy was spotted in separates from Balmain’s fall 2026 show, designer Antonin Tron’s first offering for the brand. The outfit started simple with a midriff-baring tank, before roaring down below. Taylor-Joy wore a leopard print midi skirt, designed with the spots warping in shape into they eventually morphed into a fringed hem. She styled the look with oval glasses and thin black sandals.

Animal patterns of every spot, shape, and variety are having a moment right now, whether it be on the runway, on the street, or even on the red carpet. This season, bold leopards and cheetah spots have been on rotation in Jennifer Lawrence and Kendall Jenner’s off-duty wardrobes, and Hailey Bieber even brought the trend to Oscars night in a glistening Armani Privé look.

But Tron actually looked to the heritage of Balmain, rather than the current workings of a micro-trend, as his inspiration. “There’s this picture of Balmain’s apartment in Paris, a very bourgeois apartment with this giant zebra skin,” the designer said. That starting point manifested in a maximalist mix of eclectic patterns throughout the show—strapless ruched evening dresses in cheetah, zebra top coats, and leopard moments like Taylor-Joy’s wild skirt.