Fur -- real and faux -- enjoys current trendy status

NEW YORK -- Fur is no longer a status symbol that only the rich and famous can afford, and faux fur is no longer an ugly alternative worn only by social protesters.

Both are part of a larger trend: fur -- real or fake -- as fashion.

Designers, manufacturers and retailers have embraced fur in all its forms this season, offering it in more shapes, styles and price points than one might have thought imaginable.

On the runway, established furrier and up-and-coming couturier J.Mendel used sheared mink on chiffon to create bolero jackets and capelets while Ann Taylor has a belted rabbit fur jacket and a fur felt fedora. Benjamin Cho, whose spring 2005 catwalk show was sponsored by the U.S. Humane Society, is experimenting with faux fur trench coats, and Kate Spade's faux Persian lamb purse has the same luxe look as the real thing.

You want color? Helen Yarmak dyes fox bright red and Kenneth Cole has pink rabbit handbags; Behnaz Sarafpour decorated a delicate lilac dress with fox trim and the most memorable piece from Michael Kors' fall collection was the purple knitted poncho in saga mink.

"Fur has come to mean much more than a mink coat, and, to that end, something to scrimp-and-save for and to be worn only on the most special occasion. Today, it is regarded as a new textile or fabric, and that's why it has become a standard part of a woman's wardrobe," says Sally Singer, Vogue's fashion news and features director.

And the look isn't just for ladies, either.

Mr. Biggs Fur Collection, for instance, features a mink bomber jacket with a chevron pattern and inserts of leather. The line designed by Ronald Isley, lead singer of the R&B group The Isley Brothers, emphasizes long-haired furs.

"From high glam to street urban, fur is everywhere, for every occasion," says Keith Kaplan, executive director of the Fur Information Council of America, a trade group.

The driving force behind fur's popularity in the fashion world is that "supply and demand are coming together," he says.

"There's a definite trend and focus on luxury today that has created the market for the product, and designers are offering the supply. ... Innovations in manufacturing and technology have opened up a new world, from dyeing to super shearing, to laser cut to embellishment. There's so much that designers can do with fur, and that's why designers are using so much fur."

As a sensory experience, fur is in a category by itself, says Kaplan, but up until a few years ago, it largely was limited to outerwear because of manufacturing constraints.

That changed when a technique to knit fur was developed.

"The knitting of fur has opened up an entire new category of seasonless fur. People can wear fur 10 months of the year," Kaplan says.

Knit fur can be used for garments such as skirts, pullover sweaters and blazers. Younger customers in particular are interested in unconventional uses and colors of fur, according to Kaplan.

A study commissioned annually by the Fur Council about sales finds the typical buyer is getting younger, Kaplan reports, with 55 percent of last year's customers under the age of 44.

That said, the classic mahogany-colored, full-length mink coat is the standard fur. It's a coat that will always be in style, Kaplan says, "and if you clean and store it properly, it'll serve you well for 40 to 50 years."

Sheared mink also is growing in popularity as are long-haired beaver and coyote, which lend themselves to the urban look, he says, while rabbit often is the introduction to fur because it's usually the most affordable. Fur can be had this year for $30 to $125,000, Kaplan notes.

But acknowledging the generally high prices, Yarmak has taken a novel approach: Many of her coats are reversible to suede or leather, and many have a waterproof liner that can be worn on the inside or out, making it a three-in-one coat.

A white sable coat with bow closures can be flipped upside down to create a shawl or shrug, and improvements in dyeing techniques allows Yarmak to make a less expensive fox coat look like lynx.

Meanwhile, at the suggestion of fur-free Perry Ellis designer Patrick Robinson, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is working with the Parsons School of Design to encourage students to use materials approved by the animal rights activists for the garments that they'll present at their graduation runway show.

Faux fur is a viable alternative, says Donna Salyers, founder and president of Fabulous-Furs, a retailer based in Covington, Ky.

"The difference (in fake fur) between now and 16 years ago, when I started this business, is night and day. I thought some of that stuff was nice, but today there are some fabrics I don't think a furrier could tell the difference," Salyers says.

The benefit of fake fur, according to Salyers, is the weight. "This is a viable alternative because it weighs one-third of what animal fur does, and it won't ever smell like a wet dog if you wear it in bad weather."

Other benefits she lists are the functionality of faux fur and the fact that it can go into the washing machine.

Cho says it took a little time and a lot of experimentation to learn to work with faux fur but now he's energized and enthusiastic about it.

"For me, I like the volume of it. It puts a shape to a garment. You can't really do a chubby with anything else but fur, you would have to use 20 layers of silk or a down jacket to get the same volume," says Cho.

Modern faux fur, especially the ultra soft chinchilla lookalike, offers a texture worthy of high prices and chic styles, he adds. "The fake furs of today feel almost the same as real. I was really impressed. It's not like the faux fur that my grandma wears -- it's not dry, not wiry."