Watching the Zuhair Murad Spring 2014 Haute Couture Show was like catching a glimpse of an extremely glamorous garden party. The backdrop was reminiscent of an impressionist painting of a lavish well manicured garden. Some “party attendees” were draped in bright pastel silk cocktail dresses. Others wore sequined embellished jumpsuits and elegant ivory suits. And belts made of gold leaves adorned each and every ensemble.

For me, this sequined zebra print gown was a showstopper. And as soon as I saw this piece, I was compelled to draw it. In keeping with the “leaf motif,” which was constant throughout the show, I decided to use palm leaves as a backdrop. I opted to used 3 different types of palm leaves, instead of 1, because it’s more visually interesting. Also, the different shapes (straight and thin versus curvy) echoes the interplay of zebra stripes and feminine curves.