Faux Fur

While it makes me happy to see all the pastel coloured, lightweight tops that the shops are beginning to stock for Spring time, I do feel it's slightly premature. I mean, it's still January for god sake- it's freezing out there! But, I'm not complaining, because bringing in new seasons stock means they have to get rid of their Winter items - hello big reductions!

As the weather is, in actual fact, still freezing, what better way to keep warm than with a fur coat? Faux fur has been a huge trend the past season, and I can see it sticking around for next Winter too. Hence I had the perfect excuse to stock up on a couple of jackets from the sales :-) You see, fur is one of those things that never really goes out of style. It's too classic. And, unlike most fashion items, it's practical. As much as it provides comfort and warmth, it also provides a movie-star type of glamour. You can't fail to convey a certain aura of opulence when wrapped up a Marilyn Monroe style fur.

I bought this one from Topshop, for the bargain price of £45 (reduced from £95). I was doing the should I/shouldn't I thing - picking it up, putting it back down, and repeat. Then, bingo! I remembered, I had a giftcard - therefore technically I'm getting it for free, right? It would be rude not to buy.

Wearing it on a recent night out, it did bring a lot of attention. The quote of the evening - "how many animals have you killed for that?!" (disclaimer - it is faux fur!)

I also loved this one as it was a bit longer, keeping me warmer :-) Reduced from £110 to £50 from Motel Rocks, again, I did the whole should I/shouldn't I thing. After an email letting me know it was the last day of sale, I was persuaded. Willpower = non existent. I should really work on that.

These are a couple I picked up last Winter (see, fur's a trend that never really leaves). The black one I got in the sale for around £25 (if I can remember correctly) from H&M. The white one was full priced in Zara, around £40, and I fell in love with it the moment  I saw it!  I wear it with my leather gloves (£30 from Oasis) if I am heading out somewhere dressy, or with these blue chunky knit gloves (£25 from White Stuff) for a completely different, casual look.

I'm hoping to raid my Grandma's wardrobe next time I visit - I'm sure I remember her having some gorgeous ones in there!

So my advice - invest in one these asap! The beauty of a fur  is that it can glam up anything. Whether you flaunt a full on fur coat, or add a fur trim to a plain cardigan, it just makes you feel that little bit more special. Fur has some sort of irresistible glamour. Soft yet sexy, with its hint of our atavistic past, unbelievably flattering and unbeatably warm ; it's one those essentials in life.

The celebs also agree...

Nicole Richie, Kim Kardashian, Fergie

Beyonce, Victoria Beckham

And Chanel (in their Fall 2010 collection) go the full whack.... (but hey, you've got to give these models needed something to keep warm in when their catwalk is a giant iceberg!)