This season designer collections and high street shops alike are awash with all manner of furry fashion: coats, jackets, wraps, hats, gloves, stoles and even bags. In a season where shearling is the super-fashionable, super-exciting outerwear fabric of choice, faux fur represents a slightly less of-the-moment, but perhaps longer lasting, alternative. It is, after all, nothing new: Hollywood starlets have been wrapping themselves in oversized furs for decades and it's just as much a status symbol as their ubiquitous sunglasses. The Olsen twins, my ultimate fashion icons, are a case in point. They are frequently spotted out and about swathed in huge furs; I particularly love Ashley's snow white one (see it here) which just screams luxury.
Of course, however, you need to tread carefully with faux fur, because get it wrong and you will be the very personification of tacky. Generally you can avoid falling into this trap by choosing your place of purchase wisely. Steer clear of any shop that has ever had chavvy associations; so River Island, Primark and New Look are out (New Look's boxy faux furs with gemstone buttons make me gag a little). After that you just have to use your instincts, and, if you're going for a coat or jacket, stick to the golden rule of voluminous top half = super skinny bottom half.
So onto my pick of what the high street has to offer. First off, if you're looking for a trophy piece, it doesn't get any better than a huge super-soft jacket. My absolute favourite is Topshop's Patchy Faux Fur Box Coat, £80, which is a great copy of Acne's super gorgeous original, as modelled above by my new style icon Caroline Blomst (see my post about her blog). I love that the Topshop coat has a proper collar (good to look out for), as well as being hip-length; you don't want anything shorter or all that volume risks looking a bit silly. If you don't want to go the whole hog, though, there are hundreds of pieces out there with just a hint of faux fur, on trims, collars or patches. I love Topshop's Faux Fur Collar Waistcoat, £75, which will pep up any outfit a treat. And the other day I snapped up Miss Selfridge's Black Faux Fur Trim PU Biker, reduced from £55 to £40, which I love because the furry accents are subtle enough to add interest to the biker without making too much of a statement (see yesterday's 'today i'm wearing' for how I wore it).
But perhaps my favourite way to wear faux fur this season is with a detachable accessory, as demonstrated above by the lovely ELLE staffer Kat Webster, (see my post on ELLE's 'What ELLE Wears to Work' blog). I bought Topshop's Faux Fur Stole, £25, last week, and I absolutely love it, because you can sling it on top of any cardigan, jumper, jacket or coat to immediately bring it bang up to date. Asos has a stellar collection of furry accessories for just that purpose, from peter-pan collars and tippets of all lengths and colours, through to fur hoods, capes, headbands and mufflers. My favourite is the Fantasy Fur Peter Pan Collar, £16, perfect for revitalising any tired old coat that might be festering in the back of your wardrobe (and super-cheap).
So there you have it. With so much choice out there to cater for every budget, there's no excuse not to snap up a furry delight to keep you warm during the winter months. And, I can tell you, there truly is no better antidote to cold wet weather than snuggling up in a furry jacket in front of a roaring fire.
Picture of Caroline Blomst: Carolinesmode.com
Picture of Kat Webster: Elleuk.com
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