Fashion: This season's best fur pieces

Photos / Babiche Martens

Don’t be so serious. Have a laugh with this season’s best fun fur pieces.

Last season 70 per cent of overseas fashion collections highlighted fur but a strong campaign against its use has been supported by the rise of faux fur.

Spearheading the fun-fur revival are young labels such as London-based Shrimps and menswear designer Gosha Rubchinskiy, with both designers tapping into a free-spirited approach to faux fur separates in myriad colours and plenty of animal prints.

Even Stella McCartney, long known for her ethical stance on fashion has reinforced a no-fur approach with her recent "Fur-free fur" campaign that will highlight special labels marked on the outside of her fake fur pieces.

In a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, McCartney expressed her reasoning. "I've never worked with leather or fur. It is one of the most negative impacts of the fashion industry on the earth and environmentally. It takes 20 times more energy to produce a real fur coat than one made from artificial fibre."

Cue the many fur coat options available this season, from classic animal prints to fun fur options that capture a sense of irreverence. The faux fur coat from Eugenie for example (#5) is the perfect mix of ladylike with a demented edge that offers plenty of inspiration when pulling together a look. Its teddy bear texture and two-tone colour panels offer plenty of whimsy and humour, but perform double duty as a warm outerwear option for winter.

British heritage brand French Connection has also played on faux fur options, utilising popular animal prints as the perfect combination to wear with jeans and sneakers for the weekend (#4) and this tiger print option is the perfect way to wear fur this season - off kilter and with a sense of humour.

1 French Connection puffa jacket, $239.90, and scarf, $69.90. Stolen Girlfriends Club belt, $149. Topshop culottes, $80. Nike trainers, $180. Deadly Ponies bag, $640. Mimco earrings, $129.

2 Gregory faux fur coat, $549. Eugenie jacket, $565, and skirt, $429. Mimco earrings, $129. Kate Sylvester heels, $595.

3 Kate Sylvester faux fur jacket, $625. Gregory skivvy, $289. Rolla's shirt, $110, from Service. Kate Sylvester socks, $49. Kathryn Wilson pumps, $289.

4 French Connection faux fur coat, $289.90. Gregory skivvy, $289. Levi's jeans, $179.90. Kate Sylvester socks, $49. Nike trainers, $180.

5 Eugenie coat, $975 and skivvy, $185. Kate Sylvester socks, $49 and heels, $595.

How to clean fake fur

• Machine wash inside out in cold water on a delicate cycle.

• Use fabric softener when rinse cycle starts.

• Absorb excess water by rolling item in a thick towel when the cycle is done.

• Shake fur out and air dry flat or on a plastic hanger - never use an electric dryer.

• When dry, use a pet care brush to fluff up fur.

Stockists

• Deadly Ponies
• Eugenie (09) 557 8608
• French Connection
• Gregory
• Kate Sylvester
• Kathryn Wilson
• Levi's
• Mimco
• Nike (09) 550 6453
• Service (09) 522 8250
• Stolen Girlfriends Club
• Topshop 0508 TOPSHOP

- Canvas