40s Fur for Fall Edit
Designers Bring Back Post-Depression Luxury Fashion

Was the abundance of fur for Fall 2009 fashion collections an optimistic look toward the end of the recession? The furry stoles, shawls and hairy wraps were a flashback to the 1940s when wearing animal pelts was a chic sign of affluence—and a clear indicator one was free of the gloom and doom of the previous decade’s depression.

Could the return of fur for Fall 2009 be a sartorial reflection of our wish to escape the current global economic crisis? Or could this be a more subtle bridge off the European Furries craze in which people escape their human worries (like credit crunch anxiety) by dressing up as animals?

Designers who featured fur for Fall 2009 include Lavin, D&G (brown fur bolero seen in the gallery), Roberto Cavalli (furry gorilla arm sleeves), Derek Lam (asymmetrical brown fur collared coat), Donna Karan and Fendi who both featured fuzzy animal skin cuffs, Givenchy who chic-ed up the military look with a soft stole, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Ferragama and Giles Deacon, both of which featured the monkey arm look as well.