Did I ever say how MUCH I loved the Opening Ceremony x Where the Wild Things Are collab when I actually felt it up in person? It was probably too late by the time I got my grubby paws on it as the stuff had been over-blogged and even when I did finally get round to buying a piece on sale (the Ira skirt) this posting tract had definitely died and gone to heaven.
However, I'm resurrecting it because when I did wear this skirt in reaction to this alarmingly chilly turn in weather, the number of ACTUAL sneers, raised eyebrows and grimace… a real grimace from men and women passing me by on the tube and in the streets was quite an occurence, one that I haven't experienced in a long time. And I go out wearing some fairly odd concoctions. Regardless the difference between a 'look' at a slightly outlandish outfit is worlds apart from one where someone is looking at you like you… and I'm not exaggerating here… have the words serial paedophile tatooed on your head…
(With Lucy Hutchings cuff and Fannie Schiavoni chainmail glove)
It was literally THAT visceral a reaction. One woman's eyes went from my skirt up to my eyes and then she promptly shook her head. A few men tutted under their breath as they walked by. Another woman's eyes bulged so far out in disgust, I thought she was going to slosh me with a can of secret red paint tucked away in her tote. I'm not sure whether it's the fact that the faux fur is in abundance on the skirt as opposed to a jacket/coat that was causing the reaction or were the Ira-qualities of the skirt really that realistic. Or was it a comment on 'excess' in light of political paring back… like… "We've just come out of a shaky election and you're wearing a dead beast in the form of a frou frou skirt?" Or is it the deeper, weirder conontation of a 'furry skirt' that is troubling people? So many paths to go down, so many judgement calls but the straightforward conclusion was plain to see.
(With House of Flora hat, Something Else sweater, black tights, Yokoo cowl, Acne shoes)
I should have felt like screaming "It's FAAAAAAKE!" or countering their gazes with "But… but… it's a skirt named after a Wild Thing!" Actually, no. Weirdly enough, because I had this safe knowledge in my head that it was a 100% fake skirt, I felt free to go on my merry way without having to defend the choice with some counter-PETA/"Oh it's vintage…" excuse that normally attaches itself to fur. Had I been in more of a jovial mood, I might have gone up to them and say "Wanna get touchy?" which would obviously invite even more unsavoury reactions I suppose…
Anybody with a vaguely discerning knowledge of fake/real fur can of course see that it is fake when you touch it… but this outing with the skirt does make me wonder how the Chanel faux fur A/W 10-11 collection will fare. Alright, the shaggy knits and fur-trimmed jackets aren't going to be haunting the streets but I'm betting filtered down versions might do a fairly good job of getting some reaction.
I might also add that I loved that those Chanel fur pieces were 100% fake (there were doubtful dissenters amongst show goers…) and in my head, if I were to add a furry friend to my Ira skirt, and money were no object, some of those Arctic Circle apparel-gone-kitsch pieces would definitely be my first port of call. Fat chance of course so I'll just battle with gazes on the Ira skirt for now.
i KNEW i should have bought this, but i was umming & ahhing over this for WEEKS, because it was so cheap, i was so tempted to get it, but i just didn’t know how it would go, but it looks AMAZING on & i’m so shattered i missed out. it looks beautiful on you susie! LOVE IT! GO THE FAUX!
OMGOODNESS FUR ATTACK!
i love ur skir tthough; so cute.
http://www.yellowscarff.blogspot.com
OMG I know all about these sneers. I bought a faux fur tail while in Tokyo last week to hang from my bag and already have had people sneer at me in shops, and had one shop staff guy yell out accross the shop to ask if it was real in a sneering tone…I hadn’t even thought about the reaction it might get because I thought it looks obviously fake.
very interesting and details
this skirt is so amazing. it looks so good. maybe that’s why the people were staring at you? 🙂
The summer has just started…but I can’t wait for fall to put on a little faux fur on me! I like that trend so much! Plus your skirt is amazing 🙂
I’m surprised you had such bad reactions to the skirt. I don’t really understand why they would react like that? Anyway, none of that matters. It looks amazing on you, and you styled it perfectly. I bet it’s so cosy!
Clare x
Yeah this is a difficult one. On one hand the skirt is totally fake. So who cares. But on the other hand whether it is fake or not, some people might consider it to be promoting the ‘ fur look’. I suppose it is good that people do sneer (though obviously not on a personal level for you Susie) because it show how far society has come to realise that killing animals unnecessarily for fashion is wrong when now we have so many alternatives that keep us warm.
HOWEVER, I’d be interested to note of all the people who sneered at you Susie, how many of them were carrying leather bags and wearing leather shoes? And does that mean it’s ok to sneer at someone wearing a convincingly real pleather bag?
MR makes a really good point, the fact is whether its real or not it IS promoting the fur trade and it is nice to know that people have educated themselves enough to realise that its a terrible industry. Although they do need educating on how to differentiate between faux and real fur. What they don’t realise is wearing leather is exactly the same, it just doesn’t seem bad to them as they don’t see it as a cute fluffy animal.
So in fairness you could have really have been pulling faces at them for sporting their leather, although be careful what your wearing while doing this, faux fur a thumbs up but leather would mean you were as bad as them for contradicting your self. Pot Kettle Black. And make sure theirs isn’t pleather beforehand.
Anyway, I can quite happily say I love the skirt and it’s great to see designers using faux fur.
This looks amazing, loving your faux skirt!!!
and reading your post was great fun 🙂
xx
Huh. I wonder if it was moral disapproval of fur or, as you mentioned above, some belief that wearing such a garment made you … a bit off. Amazing, either way, that it created such open dismay.
You’re fucking fabulous.
ooh i didn’t realise chanel had gone faux! thats great news!
http://itsaboutsarah.webs.com
Really great details to this outfit!!! What a great style! Gorgeous!!!!
There must be something in the air. I kept getting looks on the weekend for wearing my boater. Not normal for London! Must be post-election conservatism with a small c creeping in there. Xxxc
That tiny little hatlet oughtn’t to look that good, given your long hair – but it does. keep it forever!
interesting that chanel is doing faux fur. i am one of those who even oppose the idea of faux or vintage fur -well because you are making fur a fashionable item. however if chanel is using fake fur… that is something to celebrate. i am waiting for its mass influence.
that huge ring and your shoes are amazing, btw!
oh i’m in love with Ira! i loved so much this skirt, but when i wanted to finally own it, it was sold out! argh! 😀
love the way you wear it!
who knows why people stare and judge.. all your guesses are good ones but don’t pay them no attention! i saw racks of this collection at the OC sample sale but didn’t think to try any on with it being 90º and all!
I bought this skirt about a month ago, and I’ve also gotten weird looks thoug hthose don’t upset me that much. The most upsetting part was fellow students saying ‘Did you kill a bear?’ ‘Will that skirt eat me if I touch it?’ etc etc. And a university assistant actually said ‘Omg, WHAT are you wearing??’ Needless to day, I hated that day, how people can be soooo close-minded, argh. I think we might be the only normal people to think it’s just a very soft & cute skirt instead of a fake dead animal.
Anyways, thanks for letting me vent a bit here…
My only complaint about the skirt is that the waistband tends to wrinkle really fast when sitting down in it!
(that and an unusual big amount of people touching my bum when wearing it)
Oh, you look fabulous in that! Good buy …
Oh My God that skirt is just fabulous! LOVE,LOVE,LOVE it:)
XX
abutterflybyday.blogspot.com
I have a coat from the same collection which I wore last week when it turned all chilly. People kept wanting to stroke me. It was worse than being preggers I tell you…
i’d go for the elections version because nothing else makes sense! quite a few people are making a good point here – why is nobody sneering at leather jackets????leather shoes??? leather bags??? a steak??? fish and chips??? those are all dead animals to some extend.
The skirt looks great, though I think only few people can puul off a look like that. I love that you’re also wearing that knittted muff, it comletes the look perfetly.
Also just a wonderful post, it’s great to read how you argue to anf fro on reactions you got. And to know that you basically don’t give a damn, but keeps you merry way anyway.
that skirt is amazing! you’ve styled it so perfectly too!
http://illustratemypillowcase.blogspot.com/
Too hairy but such a cool design.
By no means am I saying I’m taking the moral high ground with my clothing choices …I eat meat, wear leather… I guess there is no differentiation in that respect… I was merely commenting on the reaction to something that has the ‘appearance’ of fur… I guess I’m half arsed in my choices because the truth is, above all, what matters to me the most is aesthetic appeal given that err… the goal is to buy things that I love and will wear….
As for promoting the look of ‘fur’, again like I said, I’m not campaigning for anything because my stance is not strong enough if evidently I do wear leather, eat meat etc…
That’s a shame. I think you look cute!
I hate those pencil pushing tubers with their Bb’s…sweating before they get to the citi…you should have snarled and clawed like a bear…shuuuuuuu tubers…..shuuuuu….
i don’t get some people. I’m sure they wouldn’t stare half as much if it was a coat.
I think you look awesome! and i’m totally in love with the hat xx
A pleasure to read this as always, for the writting I mean, not the sneers. The skirt is indeed great, and itreally doesn’t look fake, hence the aforementioned sneers. Yet, even if it was real, don’t you think it’s really rather hypocritical to dismiss fur, but to wear leather? I would love for someone to come with a valid argument against fur and pro leather, just for the sake of debating, because I just can’t see one. In my opinion, the only ones who can say something on the matter are the vegans who wear/use no animal product or by-product. And those are rare.
I’m so envious of your beautiful skirt, and I love the Chanel pieces too… oh if only. Surely the more exposure that fake fur gets, and the better its quality, the more likely people are to opt for it over real fur.
I really like your look.
There is an ethical downside to almost everything in fashion. real fur kills animals faux fur contributes heavily to pollution but so does almost everything we wear.
I really like this skirt that you are wearing. I would wear it if they made the same for men. When I was working for Lecoanet Hémant, they had one of the greatest wedding dress I had ever seen: entirely made of real ermine. Wonderful. Your short skirt remins me of it, in a strange way.
http://davidikus.blogspot.com
I find it weird that people hate it so much! It’s definitely out of the ordinary but kinda cool.
If I saw you in the street wearing this, anger would certainly not be the look I’d be giving you. It would be JEALOUSY
xx
Duck
why did i not hear about this collection? i love the skirt, i’ve been wanting a faux fur coat but i didn’t want to fall into the cliche art school crack so i have stopped myself. but the fur skirt is such a great alternative! it’s a shame that so many people sneer when someone wears something which is to the norm, me and my friends always say how we wish it was acceptable to just go out in anything. if it were so, i would definitely be walking the streets in a lobster costume.
I’m vegan and only wear faux fur – I have a few pretty outlandish pieces and always crack up at the people who make snide comments while wearing leather coat, leather shoes, huge leather bag. People in glass houses.
I think this skirt looks amazing on you – and the entire ensemble is very dear.
such an amazing skirt!
You look perfectly darling, bugger those ninnys and their shocked faces…
Those Acne wedges are so kick ass!
Fabulous! Good design!
Yeah I think it’s pretty impossible to buy clothes with your ethics left intact. For one example, the entire fashion industry is built upon free or very low- paid labour.
I aggree with Ioana. I think it’s pretty hypocritical to wear leather and eat meat and then sneer at fur wearers.
I think the reason it causes such a strong reaction is because with leather, it doesn’t look anything like the animal it came from, what with all the finishing and processes it goes through. But fur is well, the skin off the animal, right there.
If anyone is looking for a the best non-fur alternative try one of these scarves by Donna Wilson http://www.donnawilson.com/product.php?id_product=103
Love the faux fur skirt, gorgeous!
I think it looks amazing. Ok, so it’s a little out of the ordinary, but how is it any different to wearing a fur coat or jacket? People are weird.
I am not a fan off animal fur… so my comments will stand moderate. The many luxuries are having a minx coat and you pay dollars and dollars for it. But give it a thought for once, slaughtering that animal just to get it’s fur and sew it into a coat for your luxuries… Sounds brutal
I am a buyer for http://www.yogoego.com and we love the whole faux fur thing!! Had a shoe meeting for autumn and have bought gorgeous fur trim shoe boots. Can’t wait for autumn now. Bad thing about this job is you are always wishing your life away!
I’m kind of disappointed with the lack of debate going on here.
MR: I think though, you answer the question of why there is a lack of debate because probably the majority of readers here find it IMPOSSIBLE to uphold a truly ethical attitude towards fashion… we are I’m guessing, mostly a bunch of leather wearing, meat-eating, high-street buying lot as this blog isn’t REALLY a ethically sound fashion blog either such as Style will Save Us…
I for one am not a shining example either… i only really brought up the subject of faux fur for instance because of the looks I got… because as you said, even promoting the ‘look’ of fur isn’t all that good…
Aw, those sneers seem quite unfair, since I do believe the whole collection is so obviously faux. I myself have endured my fair share of sneers on the street–mainly from a PVC beret from House of Flora that Christina and I also picked up at O.C. In fact, we got more than sneers–I would guess more than 40 people stopped to comment, heckle, or grope and fondle our “nipple shaped” headgear. We got used to it, but it is quite alarming when grown men are chasing you down the street trying to steal your hat cause they want to try it on.
xx
Tiffany
for anybody who compares fur to leather or meat eating… you obviously do not know what you are talking about. to get that fur be so shiny and gorgeous it is taken off of the animal’s body while it is alive. my mom almost worked at a mink farm (thankfully she ended up not working there even thought she was offered an open check as a salary – yes she could have filled it in with whatever she wanted) and told me too many details. you can find videos on the internet, too.
It actually struck me, why there isn’t the same strong opposition towards leather and meat eating as to fur.
I am actually a vegetarian. At first it wasn’t for the sake of animal welfare, though that was just until I read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Read it and you will find out that the difference isn’t that great. (“ME” talking about fur industry)
It’s all a question on personal ethics and people can choose to draw a line where they find it right for them.
I am not a fanatic. I do wear leather, most of wich is vintage (like Susie says many will use as an excuse, or maybe to make oneself feel better about it). I draw a line where I feel I can still enjoy my passion for fashion and feel free in my personal style, but with thought, and the lifestyle I have chosen being a vegetarian doesn’t feel like a sacrifice, but a small step for a better world.
I aim to work in fashion after I get my degree, and then I will make standards for my own label that I believe in.
I would have probably sneered at you too Susie, it looks very real and the way that real fur is manufactured is one of the most horrific things I’ve ever seen in my life (video-wise).
http://www.earthlings.com < footage of a fox being skinned alive as part of the trailer to this movie, which actually converted me to a vegetarian. No thank you to the fur look. I don't believe in wearing it (even the fake stuff) because I think it just encourages the look of animal skins in fashion, and there is so much mislabelling going on with the "faux fur" trims from China, etc... As a result, even if I'm wearing a good-looking fake, the next person to see me and fall in love with my look might not be so picky as I am about making sure their fake fur really IS fake. So I just find something else to wear entirely - plenty of fish in the sea and all that. Nobody has to die a gruesome death for me to look good. And on a related note, I just don't think fur looks that good on most people. So many of your outfits are adorable Susie, but that fur skirt just makes your hips look humongous. I don't think it's very flattering at all (no offense, you're gorgeous under most circumstances). Just my two cents though, I'm sure there are a ton of people who would disagree with me. Eye of the beholder and all that.
The Ira skirt! Ohhhhh I wanted one of those so badly, it looks gorgeous!
Kellye: I respect your difference of opinion…. I personally don’t mind the BIG HIP thing seeing as I’m naturally slight of hip anyway…. I quite like the extra ‘junk’ as it were…
With regards to the promotion of the ‘real fur look’, my stance is that, taking away HOW fur is manufactured, the undeniable fact of the matter is, and I’m not ashamed to say so… is that i like the PURE aesthetic of the way fur looks… you look at some archive pieces by Fendi or some of the things newer designers like Soren Bach etc have done with fur and for me, there’s no getting away from the craftsmanship and beauty of these pieces…
Of course, when you factor in the WAY it is made, then the story gets blurred… so in this way, my compromise is to wear the faux fur skirt which aesthetically I do love… yes, it might be promoting the look of ‘real’ fur but in the same way that a random tee might be promoting mass production and poor working conditions in India/China…it just so happens that ‘fur’ is a visually more visceral thing.
Like I said, I’m not socially responsible in my clothing choices at all and I’ll hold my hands up and say I hold AESTHETIC above all else because it’s incredibly difficult to have completely clean hands. That might sound disappointing to a lot of people but I’ve never claimed to be a saint in that respect.
Susie: Yeah, you can definitely handle the extra width in the hips because you’re petite, but I can see a lot of other women trying to pull that skirt off and failing miserably. I guess if I had such a slender shape like you, I’d want to accentuate it instead of burying it. Like I said, most of your stuff looks great, so this is just a difference of opinion on the skirt.
I do really like the aesthetic of fur because it looks so primal, a humanity-back-to-its-roots thing, and some of the pieces I see done in fur are very beautiful. The look is great, I’m just sad that we live in such a strong environment of exploitation of ALL living things (people included) that I feel the need to be so diligent in obtaining pieces that I feel are as close to my ethical standards as possible. I’m not a saint in that regard either, or I’d be a vegan straight-up.
As it is, I am in a sea of compromises myself with regards to my lifestyle and how it impacts other living things. As a Buddhist, I can’t help but factor these things into my decision-making when it comes to fashion, or anything else.
Thanks for wearing faux fur though Susie, it’s nice to see fashionistas like you endorse it over real fur. It really bothers me to see people comment on those who disapprove of real fur with comments like “Just ignore those tree-hugging ninnies, you look gorgeous!”
I think that attitude is a dangerous kind of ignorance that detaches us from responsibility for the suffering that inevitably results from our choices. Most of the people who would say such things would never stand aside and watch someone skin a living, breathing creature alive, in front of others of its kind, listening to its screams of confusion, fear, and pain, in order to steal a part of that animal for themselves. And it bothers me greatly that these same people have no problem paying someone else to do it where they don’t have to watch. To me it almost smacks of sociopathy.
So I don’t know, I’m torn. Love the look (for those who can pull it off); hate the moral implications.
Anyway, I love your blog, thanks so much for writing it!
i’m still behind on google reader after interning but i love this skirt, it’s heaven! i’m surprised a skirt would get looks as people go around in fur coats all the time? and i agree, with the chanel show i bet the high street will bring out a few fur bottoms as they’ve had feather skirts before. it looks so cosy but somehow clean and smart the way you have worn it, really elegant and luxurious. it’s not often we see you in black tights but they always look so right when you wear them!
When I a broke beginner writer in Toronto in the late 90s, I bought an awesome, long, glossy black, 1950s-styled faux fur coat at a yard sale.
The lady who sold me in it told me that she once interviewed Marlene Dietrich in it. OK, that lady was probably crazy, but I liked the story.
I got all sorts of dirty looks while I was wearing it. And I was in Canada, of all places!
I also felt like wearing a sign on my forehead saying, “It’s FAKE, you idiots. Do I look like someone who can afford fur?”
To this day, I’ve never worn real fur, but I don’t bother those who do.
I’m not a big fan of super-PC types who can’t leave other people’s clothing alone.
can u pls tell me where you got this skirt??? it’s amazing!!! where can i find it??
I love everything about fur, it’s so soft ,warm and stylish.
It’s interesting to see other people’s reaction toward the fur skirt though.
Why do those people judge the others from the appearance.
They don’t know if the fur is real or not, they don’t even ask, they just assume…
its is an awsome skirt i love the look!
best skirt !!! LOVE IT
http://blog-amm.blogspot.com/
I love, love, LOVE this skirt. I made the decision this year to wear my vintage fur coat with pride. As controversial as that may be… how else are we to keep nice and cosy! If you look to the women in Europe and colder climes beyond – they all wear fur. I will stick to my vintage furs however, since they were created in a simpler time when environmental and animal welfare issues weren’t in the limelight.
Hey! I love all the outfits you show us! Where did you get the chain bracelet you wear on your left wrist? It’s just gorgeous!