Does Liking (faux) Fur Make You A Bad Person?

My husband Marc often claims I married him to take possession of “the fuzzy”. He is partially right , I wanted to take possession of him , and he also had “the fuzzy”. The “fuzzy” is a Chinchilla -like faux fur blanket that is very warm , soft , and comfortable. People fight over it in cold weather. It is a wondrous object.

I have long admired fur as a decorative accessory in either fashion or home interiors. I think it goes back to the old movie Dr Zhivago . Julie Christie  and Omar Shariff had such magnificent fur hats and coats . It was ultra romantic and sexy looking clothing. And we still see animal pelts in today’s fashion world , except now real fur is very politically incorrect and can get those so adorned doused in red paint. But that is okay ,  I am safe because I like the fakes. I hope.

Recently the Humane Society of America has claimed that Barneys has passed off this fur trimmed Parka as faux fur , when it really used the pelt of a coyote. They also said that Dilliards , Neiman Marcus , and the Gilt Groupe (to name a few ), have done similar things. Whether this has been done knowingly or unknowingly ,” My how times have changed.” When I was young you would have tried to pass off a fake fur as a real one. Now , it is so awkward to own a genuine fur , we sell the real thing as faux.

Still , I admit I love faux fur pillows like these from Pottery Barn. They are so luxurious and add a richness to any room. I will  also say however , that these pillows which are made  from wool  and  are sold at West Elm , are also delicious looking .  The only damage here was a short hair cut on a sheep. None the less , I  still like the look of fur.

As humans I think it is inbred in us to admire the Animal Kingdom. We once needed the hides of other creatures as a source of protection against the cold. Now , there is no necessity to wear the pelts of animals. Does this mean that it is also a wrong to wear faux fur or decorate with it as a sofa throw? I say no.

I am not promoting the hunting of endangered species , or the unethical farming of mink. I am simply saying just like I like a really nice Cheetah print on cotton , I also like it with more texture and detail as a faux fur. I am fine with not wearing real fur or decorating with it. But I also want the freedom to use it in the faux form in a room’s design without feeling guilty. What about you? Photo above is a great faux fur jacket at Chicos.

Speaking of feeling guilty , after the long weekend , guess we need to count those calories again. It is Monday , the week will seem longer to those of you who had some extra time off. But nothing really changed , only 5 short days until the weekend. Hang in there!