Fur REAL?!?

When I was rushing sororities at the University of Virginia in the dead of winter years ago, I decided that I’d sport a pair of mittens I’d inherited from my grandmother.  The fact that I’d inherited a pair of mittens should clue you in to the fact that these were no ordinary hand warmers.  No no — they were made of real cheetah fur, and they probably cost a fortune.  I wore them unthinkingly, only knowing that they looked chic…that is, until a sorority sister at one of the houses gasped in dismay when she saw me slipping my little paws out of them.  “Are those…real?!”  (Insert contorted look of pain and shock.)  I was off that sorority “return list” as quickly as you could say “Delta Gamma Kappa.”  The experience has made me extremely hesitant to talk about / own up to owning real fur — the last thing I want to do is offend or upset anyone.  As a result, I had a lengthy internal debate over whether or not to feature a post on the fur trend that is so mega this season.  I know that some of my lovely readers will be less-than-thrilled (ahem, my own sister), but this season has proved that the vrai and the faux can be equally chic, so — if nothing else, just know that a lot more of the fur you’re seeing on the streets nowadays is the fake stuff.  (And if you’re OK with the real deal — this is your time to shine.)  With that caveat out of the way, let me present some (guilt-free) furry mittens (and corresponding fur tippet) to add to your repertoire this season ($85 for mittens; $75 for tippet,  Juicy Couture):

How adorable would either be, paired with a pop-of-red coat ($49, Old Navy)?

Or channel Dries Van Noten — must admit, I was totally drawn to this look when it strutted itself on down the runway.  Utilitarianista-meets-NYC-chic-meets-I’m-vaguely-European:

{images from Style.com}

Get the look with your own faux fur scarf ($48, Lord and Taylor), an olivette cargo shirt ($110, Madewell), and some skinnies:

I’ve lately been seriously loving a pair of mid-calf taupey-suede boots I bought at a boutique in Rome two years ago, and I’m going to go ahead and continue to love the proportions by promoting these to.die.for Giuseppe Zanottis ($1,095, Zoe):

(These $260 House of Harlows might be a good second choice if you’re not in the market for such an investment piece.)  Finish with this sueded duffel handbag ($198, Madewell) and some gleaming gold accents, like these flat-head enorma-studs ($45, Gorjana), a thin stack of bangles ($75, LuvCharlie), and a slightly masculine watch (Michael Kors, $225, Bloomingdale’s):

If the leopard’s too loud, why not this faux fur neck warmer from Loft ($39, Ann Taylor Loft) paired with an ivory coat?

I d.i.e. over this minimalista collarless Reed Krakoff coat (a label that’s been thrown around a lot lately, and has been developing some serious brand equity amongst the jet-set — and with good reason; this coat rings in at $1,890 at Net-A-Porter), and think that if you paired it with the fur collar above and a classic brown pointy-toed pump ($79, Zara) and a top-handle bag (ugh I want this Prada tote bad.ly — $1,995, Barneys), you’d be all class:

(For a more affordable, but equally elegant, outerwear option in fetching winter white, try this $325 J. Crew double-cloth bonbon coat in sea salt.)  For casual wear, my Adam by Adam Lippes coyote fur vest (purchased on mega sale via Gilt Groupe in the middle of last summer) has seen heavy rotation so far this season — this TopShop gilet is an affordable option ($110, TopShop) if you’re looking for one:

I’ve been pairing mine with silky blouses like this one ($98, Madewell), skinnies, and statement footwear, like these sueded boots ($229, My Wardrobe):

Add a pair of cat-eye shades (Dior, $295, Saks) and a slouchy leather bag in an unexpected pop-of-green color ($375, J. Crew) — it’ll really stand out in a chic-mismatch way against the greige getup:

Once again, polished gold is the.way.to.go — as with these gold nugget studs I’ve already featured several times (I.want — $85, BingBang), a timeless Hermes enamel bangle ($460, Hermes), a classic gold bangle (Kate Spade, $28, PiperLime), and the watch I featured above:

I’m also seriously coveting textured, cropped coats these days (as I mentioned yesterday in the {magpie covets} section), and this shaggy Jaeger London jacket ($288, My Wardrobe) has my name written all over it:

Leery of the full-on fur coat look?  Just check out this little chic pea:

{images from the blonde salad}

The best part?  The jacket is faux (are you shocked?) — and is actually from the Lanvin for H&M collection set to debut on the 17th of this month.  Proof you can rock a faux fur and make it look like a million bucks.  I like the classic styling she’s paired the jacket with — though I’m kinda into the idea of  test-driving wider-leg jeans (not wide-leg — more like bootcut…baby steps) with a jacket like this.  I’m thinking a bow-front blouse tucked into (key that you tuck it in — and I am in love with this Marc Jacobs blouse — $795, Nordstrom — but am sure that you can find something comparable and several hundred dollars cheaper at Forever21 or Anthropologie) a pair of slightly higher-waisted, darkwash, bootcut jeans (Seven for All Mankind, $155, PiperLime):

I like the look finished with a platform pump — I’m envisioning the sick (yes — sick applies; I hate that word, but there’s no other way to describe their fierce glamor) pair of YSL platform suede heels I picked up just before the wedding, but these affordable Jessica Simpson brand platforms caught my eye the other day, and I think they’d be an ideal sub ($89, PiperLime):

I like it paired with an unexpected orange tote ($175, John Lewis) and a coral lip:

Adore.

I apologize for this abbreviated post, but I am NYC-bound first thing in the a.m. — visiting my little sis for a weekend of fun in the Big Apple.  I’m sure I’ll have lots to report early next week!