Are you Fur Real?

It’s no secret that fur has dominated much of the AW25 season. Coats, bags, accessories, and accents—full-blown furry looks or hairy hemlines—pretty much every runway this past fashion month has debuted pieces straight from the Narnia wardrobe. Prada took the ‘All fur coat and no knickers’ approach quite literally, showcasing a look comprised of a faux-mink jacket and a pair of pointed heels. Alaïa’s take featured cropped and full-length coats, crafted with dense and shaggy fur textures. Exaggerated collars and large rounded shoulders imparted an operatic feel to the pieces, enhancing the dramatic qualities of fur. 

Despite this historically divisive fabric, there’s a certain universality to it. It tows the line between pure glamour and an unfussy, languid approach to dressing; it’s both luxurious and effortless, and despite the latter, functions as an elevatory fragment of any outfit. The head-to-toe fur looks have provided some major runway moments, but the more delicate accenting has piqued our interest. With a plethora of beautiful and decorous ways to incorporate the fabric, fear not—you don’t have to go full Jon Snow just yet…

The Elizabethans understood the power of a neck ruff, and many, many years later, we’re finally catching on. Admittedly, they’ve been reimagined in furry iterations, but the silhouette and elevating effect remain. At Bally’s AW25 show, furry neck ruffs (perhaps the contemporary term would be snood, but ruff sounds so enticingly dramatic) were debuted in rosy-pink and midnight black. Styled with full-leather ensembles and more understated silhouettes, the fluffy ruffs added texture and intrigue. Ganni unveiled its AW25 collection, showcasing woolen tailoring topped with faux-furry neck ruffs in a teddy-brown hue, softening the sharper edges of the garments. A personal favourite of ours is the Kumanji fur snood by London-based designer Paria Farzaneh. Alluringly fluffy and crafted in a soft cream shade, it may keep you warm on a brisk day, but it also serves as an adorable addition to outfits and provides a flattering face-framing effect. 

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past year, you’ll know that bag charms have taken the fashion scene by storm. Combining the two trends, Chloé debuted kitschy faux-raccoon tail charms affixed to the brand’s iconic Paddington bag. At Fendi, bag charms embraced a meta approach, with figurines wearing little fur coats attached to bags slung in the crook of models' arms. Other brands opted to eschew the charms and instead go full fur with their AW25 bag line-up. Toga showcased plush bags crafted from faux smokey fox fur, which looked good enough to rest our heads on, while Rabanne’s leather top-handle offerings featured a faux-rabbit fur body and a leather strap. Simone Rocha’s hare-shaped bags/cuddly toys embraced the animalistic qualities of fur, providing a playful spin on the rather grown-up material. 

Amidst all this fur accenting, we can’t forget about the classic fur trim. This season witnessed a renewed approach to the traditional technique, giving it a younger and more contemporary feel. KNWLS' AW25 lookbook, ‘Baby’, provided us with major fur trimming, featuring cropped puffer jackets and supple suede hoodies lined with opulent grey and sweet pink faux-fur. Dsquared2 opted for audacious faux-fox trims, creating fluffy face-framing moments on oversized jacket hoods. Meanwhile, Chemena Kamali’s AW25 collection for Chloé revelled in pure bohemian glamour, showcasing mauve quilted jackets contrasted with a deep brown fur trim. Now, don’t get us wrong; we adore the full fur moments we’ve been seeing, but the ruffs, bag charms, accessories, and trims have proven that perhaps less is more, and fur shines best as a considered addition to any outfit.