Not Another Fur Debate….

Growing up in a Canadian-Italian family, you quickly learn two rules when it comes to fashion. Number One: Completely disregard the occasion or event when selecting the colour scheme for your outfit - black is the only choice. Weddings, funerals, engagements, baptisms, picnics, breakfasts, anniversaries, charity dinners, churning your own butter, and attending to your vegetable garden. Hell, I even know of one great aunt that has unfailingly donned an exhaustive black wardrobe since the day her husband died. That was in 1947.

Besides being genetically committed to the colour of the night, all good Italians must eagerly adopt fashion rule Number Two: When it comes to goods like handbags and footwear, if it’s not leather, don’t consider bringing it near the house. Frankly, I don’t know when or how it happened, but somewhere between the creation of pasta and the rise of Dolce & Gabbana, material other than leather became virtually sacrilegious - think the fashion equivalent of removing the original plastic covering on the orange damask couch in your basement.

And for as long as I can remember, this is the way it was. Sure, you knowingly purchased faux-leather shoes and backpacks - which, of course, you would never, ever, wear in the presence of your omnipotent grandmother - but when you needed a “good” pair of shoes, leather was the involuntary answer.

And in all honestly, it was easy being an acquiescent Italian boy when like-messages were being delivered by the fashion houses; When has black ever been “out” and how often is an It-bag not fabricated from animal skin?

But something inside has changed. No, I haven’t become a vegan or even a vegetarian, but it’s hard to ignore the frivolity of wearing furs and leathers for vanity. That butter-soft leather jacket that once symbolized good taste and more importantly, obedience, now feels irresponsible. Ashley Olsen’s succession of fur coats seems to tread the fine line between good taste and a poor moral foundation. Trust me, I’m no PETA preacher, nor do I intend to be, but I am in the midst of a personal conflict.

On the flip side, despite the slew of articles concerning the rise of un-cruel fashions, it’s still enough of a task finding a good pair of men’s so-called “cruel” shoes. Moreover, while numerous celebrities and designer Stella McCartney have undertaken conscious efforts to make faux-fur desirable, the fact is that this is a domain dominated, for the most part, by the “luxe factor”, of which animal-friendly fashions have yet to achieve on a broad scale.

I have not reached a conclusive stance on the issue as of yet. That said, let’s just say that while black really is the only colour you’ll ever need, I haven’t consumed pasta in years. And I consider myself semi-Italian? Pfft.