Palm Beach prints and the Cosby jumper - the Dictator rules

Um, you're thinking of fashion darlings from one or two years ago. Inspiration was taken from iconic banana-leaf prints such as Martinique, created by Don Loper in 1942 and still seen at the Beverly Hills Hotel, California; and Dorothy Draper's Brazilliance, famously used for The Greenbrier resort, in West Virginia, also in the 1940s. Both are regularly riffed (or ripped) off. Now, let's shop. Rebecca Minkoff's silk jungle-print dress (HK$2,232) can be pre-ordered at rebeccaminkoff.com. For only HK$209, there's the neoprene Tracyeinny sleeveless midi dress from zalora.com. Then, take the plunge with River Island's leaf-print cut-out swimsuit (HK$399; zalora.com. The tropical botanical of 2015, though, is the palm leaf. Delpozo has a multicoloured palm tree on crop tops (HK$10,900; Joyce) and short-shorts (HK$12,000). Speaking of Palm Beach, neither Lilly Pulitzer's main line nor the new collection for Target ships to Hong Kong. So visit preppy Tory Burch for caftans and tunics in brown or navy palm prints (HK$3,180 to HK$6,780). American actress Blake Lively sported a green and white Sam & Lavi palm leaf-print jumpsuit (HK$2,131; preserve.us) on a chat show recently. Finally, duh, there's Roberto Cavalli, who's put tropical prints on not only his ready-to-wear but also his Gym collection (HK$4,300 to HK$27,000).

Alarm bells! You might be too late. Koos van den Akker sadly passed away in February. The Dutch-born, New York-based designer became famous for the wild jumpers Bill Cosby wore on The Cosby Show in the 80s, but they were not necessarily his greatest work. He pioneered "couture collage", piecing together and appliqueing rich cashmere, fur, lace, silk and humble fabrics into a one-of-a-kind garment. For anyone with minimalist tastes, they may not be easy to love, but it is easy to see why his fans call them works of art. From Cosby to the doyennes of the Upper East Side, his clientele also included Cher, Glenn Close, Brooke Shields and Barbara Walters. To get your hands on one of his final works, you'll have to visit Koos & Company (1263 Madison Avenue, New York, tel: 1 212 722 9855) in person and see what's left. The next collection will be designed by his team, with whom he worked for decades. You can find some of his vintage pieces on ebay.com; or sew your own Koos with voguepatterns.com, which sells Koos van den Akker patterns, including his renowned reversible jacket (HK$46.40 on sale). Otherwise, you could look to brands that ingeniously mix fabrics today, such as Etro, Isabel Marant, Peter Pilotto and Dries Van Noten.