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BANG FOR THE BITE
It's almost like the real thing and keeps animals out of harm's way, but the quality ones will cost you.
COCKTAIL FACT
During a dinner with Beyonce that two anti-fur activists won on eBay, they criticized her about the use of fur in her clothing line and were thrown out of the restaurant.
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home › tip library › Faux Fur
Is imitation the best form of flattery?
The Bite
When it comes to fur, it is. Chinchillas have beautiful coats, for sure, but faux is the way to go. Now there are high-fashion, U.S.-grown organic-cotton fakes that will make you look as cute as a little critter without putting one in harm's way.The Benefits
- Cruelty-free couture.
- Less energy use. Many fakes are made using oil, but the energy it takes to raise an animal for fur is still 20 times the amount needed to make a fake.
- Organic-cotton options. New imitations made from organic cotton are oil-free.
- Helping critters. If you inherited grandma's fur but feel icky about wearing it, donate it to a wildlife rehab center where animals can use it as bedding.
Personally Speaking
We were all horrified when we read that some fur labeled as faux actually comes from cats and dogs raised in China. Our ears perked up just like a chinchilla's when we heard about the new organic-cotton options.Wanna Try?
- Loyale Costilla Jacket - made from U.S.-grown organic cotton, this jacket'll make a toasty 'n' good-looking addition to your wardrobe ($272).
- Fabulous Furs Red Fox Faux Fur Throw - U.S.-made; it's not organic cotton, but we love ours so much we couldn't leave it out ($199-$249).
- Linda Loudermilk - some of this eco-designer's high-fashion looks use organic-cotton "fur."
- Coats for Cubs - donate old furs for use at wildlife rehab centers.
- Consumers for a Fur Free Society - learn about retailers taking a stand against fur.
Nov 16,2007
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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Curtain Re-Call
The fur section-in most big department stores, there's a little more wall space separating it from the rest of the store and it's tucked in a back corner. There's no curtain, but it's always seemed to me like the porn room at a video store, the opium den at the back of the restaurant, the sorry little power-hungry man behind the Wizard of Oz...
So is the desire for real fur somehow akin to "indulgences" like sex, drugs, and rock ‘n' rule (um, power)? Huh-uh. No. Knowing what happens to animals whose fur we take, knowing that people profit from cruelty, and especially knowing that there are faux-fur options that match or exceed the 40s glamour we all occasionally covet...there's just no reason to move the curtain aside and delve into that dark place.
OK, so most of us don't-but if you haven't already clicked through to the article about misleading faux fur labels in today's Personally Speaking section, please do. It may give you a shock (no graphic photos or anything), but it'll help make your future faux-fur purchases that much more informed.
As an aside, the team was in New York last week to celebrate the launch of our first local editions (you're reading those, right?!). We got to meet actress Jennifer Coolidge, who impressed us by wearing a faux-fur jacket with a sign on the back, "Faux Fur Forever."
-Jenifer Morgan...off to admire an Arctic fox wearing its own fur coat...
So is the desire for real fur somehow akin to "indulgences" like sex, drugs, and rock ‘n' rule (um, power)? Huh-uh. No. Knowing what happens to animals whose fur we take, knowing that people profit from cruelty, and especially knowing that there are faux-fur options that match or exceed the 40s glamour we all occasionally covet...there's just no reason to move the curtain aside and delve into that dark place.
OK, so most of us don't-but if you haven't already clicked through to the article about misleading faux fur labels in today's Personally Speaking section, please do. It may give you a shock (no graphic photos or anything), but it'll help make your future faux-fur purchases that much more informed.
As an aside, the team was in New York last week to celebrate the launch of our first local editions (you're reading those, right?!). We got to meet actress Jennifer Coolidge, who impressed us by wearing a faux-fur jacket with a sign on the back, "Faux Fur Forever."
-Jenifer Morgan...off to admire an Arctic fox wearing its own fur coat...
Biter Comments...
No one who wears fur has any business being a biter anyway. I mean isn't not wearing fur one of the first tenets of being a ecogreen person? I think you have to swear in blood to never wear fur before you get allowed into the club.
Donate Grandma's fur to be used as bedding? I DON'T THINK SO...whatever happened to "recycling"? I don't neccesarily approve of purchasing a new fur to wear; but what better way to honor Grandma and her memory and keep warm too without having to go out and purchase something new? A well kept fur can be used for decades of warmth...save the hay and the pine needles for animal beds.
Maybe I read it wrong, but it seems like the Red Fox Faux Fur uses a base of "doe suede." How is it "biter-worthy" to use faux fur but real hide? I'm not totally leather-free yet, but I'm working on it. You should edit the tip!!!
I'm a bit flustered about some of the choices presented for being a little green--like Edun's organic cotton items as an option to ___ (fill in the blank with faux fur, cotton grown using pesticides, whatever). Bono and his wife are selling t-shirts for SEVENTY dollars! (a couple are on clearance for $35). It’s great that they can promote social causes by selling a sweater for $200 and a t-shirt for $70. What a sacrifice. How wonderful that about 5% of the world's population can afford to buy things that make them feel good about their contribution to society while still indulging themselves.
Tara-
Don't worry, "doe suede" is a fancy name for brushed polyester.
See! I knew I was "reading it wrong!" Thanks for clearing that up, Toshio. Doe suede, seriously? Talk about a misnomer! Polyester has some serious problems, but it is more attractive to me than some dead animal laid across my couch! ;)
Shame! Shame!! SHAME!!! on Laura, Susan Kuhn, and anyone else who would rather wear dead animals on their bodies than fake fur! The ONLY ones who look good in REAL fur are the ORIGINAL OWNERS, namely, the animals who were born with it.
Donating an old fur for animal bedding is a lovely idea. As Biter Kelly says, "No one who wears fur has any business being a biter anyway. I mean isn’t not wearing fur one of the first tenets of being a ecogreen person? I think you have to swear in blood to never wear fur before you get allowed into the club."
Amen to THAT, Kelly!! {:-)
I simply can't believe you didn't get 100% approval on today's tip; that there are biters out there who would actually buy something new with torture associated with it. Oh, shame on them. As for old furs and the jerk who simply feels "fur is warmer than synthetic" (not necessarily true) I have a couple of my great-aunt & mom's fur coats and stoles; I wear them with respect for the animal....and great care for their wear....sending its soul love when I do wear them; to throw them away would be disrespectful of what they suffered to become coats. It is sort of like having your loved one's lovely urn over the fireplace; respect and love. But buy something that has been killed since we all began to understand what "the fur trade" is all about? Never. And yes, FABULOUS FURS (check out their site and catalogue) will satisfy ANYONE'S love of fur and the look/warmth/class of fur. And at very good prices. check it out.
Ithink an apology to Laura, on re-reading her post; I do bellieve that we should re-cycle and wear with love and care and respect animal fur which has already been sacrificed to man's vanity and inhumanity. And meanwhile, work to stop the cruel killing of helpless, hapless animals for our selfish uses (so many online opportunities for this! you don't even have to leave your computer!) while you are giving y our already-killed fur love, thanks, and a good home.
Thank you for the link to Coats for Cubs! I received the tip while I was helping my parents move from their home into an Assisted Living facility. I've spent most of the last week sorting through their accumulated possessions. Among them were my mother's furs. Yuck-o -- but she acquired them long ago when sensibilities were very different. What to do, what to do. She and I were just delighted to find a way that they will be put to such good use! Anyone of my generation remembers the famous experiments at the University of Wisconsin with "cloth mothers" and "wire mothers". Baby rhesus monkeys were given both a cloth "mother" with no feeding nipple or a wire "mother" with a feeding nipple. The babies *all* stayed with their cloth mothers, even when they were very hungry. (Of course, eventually they were all given a cloth mother with nipple.) Although I *hate* animal testing, the research was a strong testament to the profound need of a baby wild thing for a soft, furry presence.
I was currently thinking of buying a curtain. what troubles me is the curtain fabric.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Laura | November 16, 2007 at 06:48 AM