CALL OF THE WILD; ANIMAL PRINTS ARE ON THE PROWL.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Fashion Editor

There's a jungle beat in spring fashion with a Deborah Harry vibe.

It's exotic skins - from pony to python - cut with an '80s edge and an attitude that's pure rock 'n' roll. Think of Blondie, Joan Jett and Poison ... even Guns 'N Roses, and you get the picture.

Yeah, babe, leopard isn't ladylike anymore. Wild spots and stripes are showing up in luxe fabrics like pashmina, satin and leather, cut up and down the body for maximum exposure, then bound in neon color and accented with black leather.

The skin-on-skin look has already leaped off the pages of fashion mags and onto the backs of numerous celebs, including Christina Aguilera, Pamela Anderson Lee and Mary J. Blige, who all favor leopard and cheetah. Meanwhile, Claire Daines, Heather Graham and A.J. McLean have partied in zebra stripes.

But cold-blooded python prints are the next big thing. According to Hot Kiss designer Tonya La Barrie, ``Zebra was hot for the holiday season, but python print is more toned down and will appeal to a wider range of customers.''

Bella Dahl designer Kym Lubell, who takes credit for starting the embellished jeans craze, agrees, calling snakeskin sophisticated enough to go from day into night. She thinks it's a keeper, much like leopard spots, while the pony print is a trend that will ride out of town by the end of summer.

Subtle and sophisticated, yes. But the real reason the python has snaked its way back into fashion, says designer Eduardo Lucero, is the upbeat economy.

According to Lucero, whose clients include Drew Barrymore and Alicia Silverstone, ``We've come out of a somber mood in fashion and women are now feeling flamboyant, much like they did in the '60s and again in the '80s. Two seasons ago we started doing animal prints, but leopard was their only interest. Now - can you believe it - our best seller is red python print pants.''

But he knows it's not for everybody. Leopard is the safest, kindest-to-the-figure print, while zebra stripes aren't so flattering to many women's hips. If you like the black-and-white impact of zebra, buy a purse or pair of shoes, he suggests.

Oh, and don't wear all your wild kingdom prints at once, Lucero says, or you'll end up looking like Jimi Hendrix in a purple haze. And that's a whole different fashion story.

CAPTION(S):

8 photos

Photo: (1 -- Color ) On the cover: William B's spring collection includes color-washed snakeskin prints on a cashmere skirt, $250, and leather top, $170, at Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

(2 -- Color) Cold-blooded python print is hot on leather, by William B, $250, at Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom stores.

(3 -- Color) Leopard looks new again when teamed with brights and black leather in a baseball shirt by Hot Kiss, $28, at Contempo and Charlotte Russe.

(4 -- Color) Cow print gets branded with color in L.A. Movers' new plus- size fashions, $36 in Bloomingdale's spring 2000 catalog.

(5 -- Color) Do the pony in print slides, $88, at Banana Republic.

(6 -- Color) Zebra stripe tote in straw by Coach, $168.

(7 -- Color) For the club scene, L.A. Movers' satin zebra halter, $25, and fringe skirt, $29. To order, call [phone], Ext. 278.

(8 -- Color) Snake charmer top in leather by Bella Dahl, $110, at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. Her hippie chick jeans with matching print are $260.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer