Would You Wear… Faux Fur Outerwear?
Kate Moss, a Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent vest, and a girl from Lookbook.nu.
Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3
Faux fur coats and vests are indisputably hot right now. With designers such as Betsey Johnson, celebrities like Rachel Zoe with her line for QVC, and even stores like H&M all touting faux fur pieces, there’s no doubt that faux fur outerwear will be a hot trend for Winter 2009. But would you wear it?
The two hottest incarnations of this trend for Winter 2009 are the faux fur vest and the faux fur coat. Faux fur vests are probably the trendiest piece you can own right now, but, like most ultra-trendy items, they’re also going to be short-lived. Faux fur coats will last you multiple seasons, and are probably the smartest investment if you want to try this trend.
Beyond looks, there’s an ethical side to wearing faux fur that requires consumers do their homework: some products that are advertised as “faux fur” are actually made of REAL fur, often from dogs! Scary but true.
On the plus side of the ethical coin, buying faux fur helps save animals from the awful and inhumane deaths they needlessly suffer. Second, although the fur industry has tried to convince people that faux fur is bad for the environment, it’s actually FAR better for the environment to buy faux instead of real fur. And ethics aside, it’s simply easier on the wallet and more stylish to buy faux fur.
Personally, since I would NEVER wear real fur, I think the faux fur outerwear trend is a great thing – I’d love a faux leopard coat like Kate Moss’, as well as a faux fur vest. Both are so chic for winter!
But before I buy, I’m definitely going to do my research and make sure what I’m buying is actually faux. I suggest you guys do the same if you want to wear this trend.
So what do you think? Would you wear faux fur outerwear? Do you plan to partake in this trend? If so, how would you wear a faux fur coat or vest? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
Posted on on October 5, 2009 / Filed Under: Would You Wear? / Tags: Coats, Fall 2009, Faux Fur, Jackets, Kate Moss, Outerwear, Trends, Vests, Winter, Winter 2009, Would You Wear?
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Caroline
Especially now that fall and winter are pretty much here, I have to say yes! I am also against wearing real fur, so faux is the best way to go without sacrificing a great trend. I’m a little hesitant towards fur coats, but the vests are super cutee!
I always love the “Would You Wear” posts :)
Calico
Yes :D Faux fur for me, definately. Wouldnt mind either, and plus I love the freakish snuggle factor :P I’m not trendy in the sense that I wear things regardless of fashion seasons, so the shelf-life of a vest wouldnt really bother me.
Have also been seeing some fur coats – although some are real :( – on Sea of Shoes, and I think they look great!
Paula ♥
That seems a bit much for me. I think I’ll pass lol.
Leia
I would NEVER buy real fur, either! And I boycott Vogue as it’s one of the only fashion magazines that still features fur in their editorials. But you’re right – some ‘faux’ fur does include rabbit hair or fur from non-endangered species. I LOVE faux fur, though, and am dying to get a faux fur leopard print coat!
Julianne
I think this trend is awesome, I really got interested when I saw the new Opening Ceremony collection based on Where the Wild Things are. If more designers follow this lead and get inspiration from that, I think this trend could be really exciting! I’m definitely interested in this trend, and if I can find options as adorable as Opening Ceremony for a MUCH lower price, I will certainly be partaking:)
Dominique
I’m not really a fan of the trend.
I was wondering if you guys could do an article on finding a winter coat that is cute but still super warm (I live in Mass.! It gets really cold!). I’m having a hard time finding something that fits both and doesn’t break the bank!
Thanks
VF
Not really into (fake) fur, even on other people. Not even on Kate Moss! And that’s saying something.
One thing. You sound a bit indignant about saying that you “would NEVER wear real fur” — but you wear real leather all the time in the other outfits you put together…
Just saying. ;)
Alyssa
I’m not sure I’d even like to appear as if I’m wearing an animal’s fur but who knows I’ve never tried on anything like that.
My friend bought cowboy boots the other day and she was like, ‘How do I wear these?’ and the first place I visited was here and I actually searched on your site ‘cowboy boots’ and I found great advice. So thanks! Blogs aren’t usually so functional!
Abigail Nora
Yup – I already have a faux-fur winter coat! :)
Isabelle
I’m going to have to sit this one out as I dont like the look at all, I dont believe I ever have. Plus they make me sneeze. I love my peacoat better <3
Julie
defintely not. I’d never buy real fur and I just don’t like the look of fake fur
….good point on the leather VF
hot beauty health
I’ve always like the trend but the controversy behind the faux fur actually being real fur has always stopped me from purchasing one. I am a animal lover especially a dog lover so my initial resistance to buying one was the best decision that I’ve ever made.
Jessica
I love real fur, leather, all of it! I do like to know what i’m wearing though, I won’t wear something made out of mystery fur, lol. I also like fake, if it’s done right, I don’t want it to look fake, or if I do want it to look fake, it has to be obvious that it’s fake.
I wouldn’t wear a full coat of fur, but prefer when it’s used for trim pieces and such, as an embellishment. A full coat of fur is just too much fur for me.
Kirsten
I would def wear this… I LOVE Rachel Zoe’s line
Luinae
I would never, ever wear real fur! Like Leia, I also boycott Vogue for that reason. And this trend seems a little to over the top for my style.
Yuki
I’ve been loving this style since last fall and skipping around vintage stores. I saw this awesomely soft coat made of long-haired, white, and lightly curly sheep’s wool and I totally wanted it. However, I was a bit afraid to wear it since it wasn’t faux fur and didn’t want to deal with people unknowingly harassing me about it so I unfortunately had to leave it.
But the faux fur/ pleather controversy makes me a bit weary. With all of the plastic wasted on faux fur and pleather I just don’t know if that is the right answer. Wool is pretty nice and sheep need it to be habitually shaved off anyway.
Shannon
I think the faux fur trend is so chic.
I love this blog, btw!
xx. Shannon
Chelsey
The middle look is actually quite cute, but I’m not a fan of this trend. I think the fur is a bit too much. A little trim of faux fur on a coat is nice, but not in its entirety. Besides, I live in Texas and it’s never cold enough to wear something like this lol.
Kim - Cal State
I’m not really into the fur look, faux or real, I just can’t bring myself to make it so it’s “okay” to wear an animal on you. Interesting post though, I liked reading everyone else’s opinions.
Jessica
Maybe you should keep your political opinions out of fashion articles. I don’t follow this website to read this trash.
Kelly
Wow, I am really surprised and sad to see this type of political debate in a fashion blog. First of all, you should do all of your homework than just reading some extremest point of views. Most traps humanely kill the animal, and when done lawfully, do help the environment by population control. Of course, I am against the trapping or killing of endangered animals, but you should really think twice before boasting blatantly biased information in a blog that is completely about a different subject.
Kaleigh
There did seem to be a little bit more of a political agenda here, Jessica, but it’s a relevant topic in fashion and Zephr has a right to post what she likes on her blog. I didn’t feel like she was imposing her beliefs on anyone, just stating them and opening it up for discussion, which is totally fair.
I already have a faux fur vest which I love, and since this trend is still a little edgy, I’m the only one I’ve seen on campus wearing one–I love that feeling!
I don’t know if I’d ever buy a new fur garment, but my grandmother has an old fur coat that was her mothers and it is so glamourous and gorgeous, I just love it, and I figure, it was made so long ago, before people realized the implications of wearing fur, and honestly, back then the methods were likely more humane than they are today.
Just my two cents! Great article!!
Tamara
And maybe you should keep your agressiveness to yourself. With all the respect, nobody judged you for your opinions. Go hunt bambis if you’re feeling agressive.
(Just kidding!)
Arielle
I forgot to mention something:
I can’t believe how angry a few of you are getting over this post! Last time I checked this was Zphr’s blog and with that being said, she can post about whatever she wants facts AND opinions. If you don’t like it then stop reading.
I see nothing wrong with her saying she would never buy real fur and that she doesn’t believe in it.
Biased? Political agenda? Get a grip people.
Arielle
Oops typo. *Zephyr. Man I can’t type worth a crap today lol
Michelle - College of Idaho
Great post, Zephyr! I think an important aspect of fashion is that there will always be ethical issues – be that treatment of animals or the treatment of the planets resources! I would never wear real fur either, but the warmest coat I own is lined with synthetic fur (I checked the label – it does not contain any code words for “dog” or “wolf”).
And just so everyone knows, the outfits we post here on CF are not necessarily things we wear day-to-day – for example, I’m against the use of real leather (animal hide) in clothing, but when I wrote my post about 1970s tops, I did have to include real leather fringed vests in my examples simply because those are most prevalent.
Brooke
I also have a question about the fur/leather debate, and I’d actually love to hear your opinion, Zephyr. While I also would never wear real fur for ethical reasons, I love my real leather coat. Pretty sure this makes me a hypocrite. I have a lot of leather items, I find it’s hard to avoid them (a few years ago I would never buy anything leather before I realized how hard it was to avoid–so yes, I’m a hypocrite out of laziness).
What do you guys think about this issue? Maybe the leather always comes from animals who die of natural causes. Or maybe it comes from little pink fairies who make it from their pixie dust. I don’t know. I’d especially like to believe the latter explanation, though.
BTW, I think fur coats are very elegant, very vintage-looking (I especially like the ~30s look), and since I wouldn’t wear real fur I would love to rock the faux fur!
Jess
If I would ever wear fur, it will have to be faux fur. I only like the middle vest. I am not into furs, since where I live doesn’t seem that it will get that cold. But the vest is cute:)
idil uzun
i never wear fur or leather. or faux fur or faux leather.
you got your own skin, so dont use other’s!!
if you wear faux fur,its okey for me but so many young people see kate moss’s fur coat and they wanna wear REAL FUR.
i’m a designer, i would never design&wear fur either leather.
http://www.furisdead.com/page/skinnedwaxe.jpg
http://www.furisdead.com/page/grindup.jpg
if you wear faux or real, you must know that you are gonna support fur..some young people’s see your faux fur coat,and they dont even know its faux or its real.they wanna buy too,they are gonna like it. and you never know they buy a faux or real .
http://www.furisdead.com/page/skinnedtub.jpg
Reneé
Nice post !
I love the fur vests these days very much also they seem to be a new fall trend :)
Nina
Speaking just from the fashion point of view, faux fur has many not so obvious advantages. Back in the days fur was one of few ways to keep yourself really, really warm, which is not the case today. Plus, as a few more people have said, fur might have the tendency to be a bit more on the edgy side, and is not one of those things that are always in. So, if you are going to invest that kind of money (and real fur isnt cheap!) in something that might be totally out next year, you better think twice… just my two cents. All ethical opinions aside!
Im very much pro real leather though. Where I live its sort of like playing safe when it comes to footwear: people in my country generally arent that wealthy and we want things to last. And there isnt much high-quality faux leather footwear here, so basically “leather” means “quality, waterproof, long lasting” and “faux leather” usually means “will fall apart completely after 2 weeks”.
Ms. GLAM
Yes!
Faux fur is hot(no pun intended!) :)
I would definitely wear it; I’m actually looking forward to rocking a faux fur vest, similar to the one pictured above.
This is why fall & winter are my favorite seasons…
MG
Suzi
I do find it difficult to buy sturdy winter footwear that is vegan, doesn’t break the bank, yet is still work-presentable.
When it comes to things like cheap ballet flats, flip flops, and athletic footwear it’s not too difficult to find cute things, and any leather purse I own in faux.
I agree with Nina, unlike leather sometimes, there’s not really any practical reasons to go and buy fur.
About the leather industry: I think it’s tied in very closely with the agro/livestock industry, particularly dairy (at least in north america). Animal rights aside, there’s a huge ecological footprint associated with cattle especially. It’s suprisingly resource-intensive and rivals auto use for individual activities that have an impact.
I’m not sure I’d want to go around pointing fingers and calling people hypocrites though for something like leather versus fur. There are ethical issues with just about everything we consume, and I think that looking for and working out creative alternatives and solutions is far more productive.
Tara from My Little Fashion Finds
I actually do wear faux fur. I also wrote an article about faux fur in my blog back in January. I would never wear real fur either, both for political and financial reasons. I would also never wear real leather and faux leather is supposed to be a big trend for the fall/winter as well. I think it’s great that the fashion industry is promoting alternatives for those of us who don’t want to wear the real thing.
My favorite faux fur item that I own is my denim jacket with a faux fur collar. I’ve just started wearing it again since it’s cooled down here in New York. I wear it with pretty much everything.
Valeria
No =/
I don’t really like the look, it makes me sad, no matter if it’s faux or real. Besides, I live in the middle of the most arid desert on the planet (Atacama’s Desert) in front of the beach, so it isn’t that cold here, lol.
Zephyr - CF Editor
I knew this article was going to be controversial! But I thought this trend was too cute not to post…
Dominique – I’ll definitely keep your idea in mind for future posts! I live in MA too so I know how cold it gets here in the winter!
VF – Your right, we do feature leather on this site sometimes in the outfits, but that doesn’t mean that I personally wear it. There are ten writers and they’re free to feature whatever they want in their own articles. The outfits they feature aren’t necessarily things they’re wearing themselves either. They’re just to demonstrate possible ways to wear different trends, and not photographs of actual outfits that our writers are wearing.
Yuki – Wool can be a good alternative, but the wool industry is pretty cruel as well, unfortunately. I’m not going to go into all the details here but if you want to know more, you can check out SaveTheSheep.com.
Kim – I definitely feel the same way a lot of the time. This look has definitely grown on me, but I’m still not sure about wearing a fur coat for that reason too.
Jessica – I own this site and can post whatever I feel like posting. Until you start sending me the hundreds of dollars a month to pay for the web space here, I’ll continue to post, and allow the other writers to post, whatever we want. I try to be fair and consider all opinions, but this blog will never be pro animal cruelty.
Kelly – I’ve done my homework and that’s the only reason I posted my opinions in here – because trapping animals for fur is usually NOT humane. In a perfect world, it would be, but that’s simply not what actually happens. And even if it WAS done humanely, killing animals simply for their fur is needless, especially when we have cute faux fur options.
Arielle – Thanks! I’m glad you get the point of this. It’s not to force my beliefs on anybody, it’s simply to state my opinion (which I do in EVERY “would you wear” post), to get the discussion going about the particular trend. :)
Michelle – Exactly. There are always ethical issues, and since this is a college blog, I think it’s important to discuss the ethics of fashion as well. Obviously it’s not the primary focus, but it’s something worth considering, especially when the trend at hand centers around an ethical debate.
Brooke – Unfortunately the leather industry is just as horrible as the fur industry when it comes to cruelty. It’s not just a byproduct of the meat industry – it’s a BIG business that makes a TON of money. Since you asked, I’m generally opposed to leather, even though I know it is more difficult to avoid, especially in fashion, than fur for example. I own some real leather stuff, which was purchased before I became a vegetarian and educated myself about the industry. These days, I don’t buy real leather clothes or accessories, although I definitely don’t profess to be perfect in this respect. We do feature real leather stuff on this site, and that’s because CF is for all college girls and is not about political agendas. When I feature something that’s real leather in an outfit or otherwise, I assume that people who read it will educate themselves and find a non-leather alternative if that’s a cause they care about. Faux leather is easy to find and just as stylish. At the same time, I often think about the message I’m sending by continuing to use the leather goods I purchased in the past. It’s certainly a tough issue.
idil – I’ve thought about that too, and it’s one of the reasons I almost didn’t publish this article. It’s certainly something to think about.
Nina – Good points! I love that faux fur has so many advantages. As for leather, it’s really too bad that faux leather can’t always equal quality, but unfortunately some companies just aren’t there yet with the quality. Hopefully one day faux leather can equal or surpass the quality and lasting power of real and we can stop using animals for fashion.
Phew! That took forever! Hope that answers all of your questions. Let me know if you have any others.
Gen
> Wool can be a good alternative, but the wool industry is pretty cruel as well, unfortunately. I’m not going to go into all the details here but if you want to know more, you can check out SaveTheSheep.com.
I need to just point something out. The cruelty that people are usually talking about is that in certain countries, notably Australia, sheep have extra skin trimmed off around their butt. This is usually done without painkillers. It sounds absolutely hideous. The alternative is worse, however. If this isn’t done, the sheep is vulnerable to a blowfly, which lays its eggs in the excess skin. The sheep is basically eaten alive slowly when these eggs hatch.
It’s not pretty, and they are trying to find other ways of preventing blowfly from striking sheep. But right now, it’s a nasty solution to an even nastier problem.
Yuki
Thanks Zephyr for the resource. I go to a school with a large agricultural program where the pre-vet students and the animal sciences students actually take care of animals and we even have an FDA approved slaughterhouse that some help run. And the animal stalls are viewable from the side streets so I ‘m able to see the animals that we and the public can buy the meat from at the farm store. I guess what I’m saying is that when living next to a place that’s pretty good to the animals that I eat, it separates me from the places that really aren’t very good. Maybe they should start selling leather and wool from our animals but then again, traditional leather-making smells (literally) like pee.
Again, I seriously enjoy reading your blog and I’ll continue to enjoy reading your opinions. Besides, then I would have to do something productive, like homework (gasps).
Nele
Thanks for this article!
I think it’s important to be aware of and to deal with ethical topics like this, especially when you are in college, but actually always.
I don’t wear fur at all, neither real nor faux fur. I just don’t like the look of it, but that’s just my personal feeling.
As a vegan, I also don’t wear leather or any products that come from animals or – especially concerning cosmetics – were tested on animals. Therefore I only use natural cosmetics.
I do own one pair of old leather boots and will continue wearing them until they may fall apart one day. Throwing them away wouldn’t make the animal alive and I despise wastefulness.
Again, Zephyr, thanks a lot for bringing this up; I think it is important for everyone to think about animal cruelty and not simply ignore it due to laziness or indifference.
Jessica
Wow, going back and rereading my post where I trashed this site, I’m sooo sorry. I was in a terribly bad mood and that was very uncalled for.
What I meant to say was that I wish you would have posted both sides to the story. I’m not asking you to promote buying real fur, but maybe state some reasons why people would want to.
Just so its clear, I wouldn’t buy real fur either. I’m very anti animal cruelty, I would have just liked to hear both sides, as I believe it would make the post stronger.
But like you pointed out Zephyr, it is your blog, and if I didn’t respect your opinion so much I wouldn’t read it on a daily basis. Once again, I’m sorry that this post has fallen victim to one of my terrible bad moods.
Sarah
Wow it is so great to see so many of the readers don’t wear any fur trends or leather.
I disagree with wearing faux fur on the basis that to wear the trend will fuel the trend even further. Meaning more animals deaths. Not cool.
Its depressing to see the people who do wear fur are so aggressive.
And whoever says that the fur industry kills the animals humanely is dead wrong. I think they need to do their homework.
This youtube video is one of my favorite videos exploring into the fur industry and the opinions and ideas that fur wearers have: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk87EjGD8Gk
gotta love The Discerning Brute
Maggie
I just inherited a genuine custom made mink coat, so i may stick with that for the time being :)
Mani
Honestly: YES. I think that it adds an edge to whatever outfit you’re wearing. For example, I saw this gorgeous picture in a photospread one day of a girl wearing just a pair of cutoff shorts and a band t-shirt…but she added a faux fur jacket to the mix and WOW did the outfit pop. I think that the look is really gorgeous and different. Not to mention cozy!
Lottie
I’m so glad you mentioned the ethics of fur. I studied the fur industry for one my degree projects and it is an awful, crule, vain industry, You are spot on about the dog fur, there are no labeling laws to protect buyers like us, from actually wearing real fur. And as you said it is that of dogs & cats.
Welldone for bringing it to peoples attention in your awesome fashion blog!
KatetheGrey
I will admit that I do own some fur pieces. However, they are all either vintage, or inherited. And I mean REAL vintage, not 1980s…more like 1940s.
As far as the faux, I have two faux vests that will be coming out of storage this weekend…it’s that time of year!
Fabiola
Definitely no. I love animals, animals are NOT fashion.
Trish at Fuzzi Faux Fur
I would always prefer faux over the real thing… always!
Would I wear faux fur? YES, absolutely!
I will admit that I would keep it small, such as trim on a coat or accessories. Full faux fur coats and vests don’t flatter me at all. Accessories are awesome ways to spice up an ensemble or update a tired one… especially in these economically trying times. This is exactly why I started the Fuzzi Faux Fur line. This a 100% handmade line of wearable art pieces in sculpted faux fur. Check out my wares at http://www.fuzzifauxfur.com.
Let me know what you think!