An Unfashionable Trend

Fur-get it. Last week the fashion faithful of New York were out in full force. One could detect a new spring in the step of many a clotheshorse as women rushed through the slush in their Prada heels for front seats at the fall 2000 shows. The Oscar de la Renta show, held in the main tent in Bryant Park, took center stage. De la Renta revealed a cutting edge collection of sable-trimmed vests and miniskirts in suede or leather, ball dresses and snakeskin shirts.

Or so the headlines said. The dailies offered little comment on the fashionistas' studied ignorance of two anti-fur protestors who interrupted the show and were forcibly escorted out by security guards. Nary a false eyelash was batted in the direction of the commotion; the show went on as scheduled. The lack of attention paid to the demonstrators seemed not so much the result of troubled conscience as that of sheer indifference.

Indeed, fur has once again become a mainstay on the catwalks. Wearing faux-fur is now considered a faux-pas. Whatever happened to the time when standing up for moral values was in vogue? Supermodels Christy Turlington, Tyra Banks and actor Kim Basinger all posed in the buff for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' "I'd Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur" campaign. In the disappointing aftermath of the Rio Earth Summit, the day in the sun that cute furry creatures enjoyed has been eclipsed by the corporate powers that be.

Society's disrespect for genuine good-hearted concern for our fellow beings has been passed on to today's youth. Kinder treatment of animals seems to be a dream of the past, publicly trounced by Prince William's unabashed affection for fox hunting with hounds.

While I am not about to condemn Vogue readers for the forests of trees sacrificed for their advertisement bibles, I think it only reasonable that we give our environment and its inhabitants a second glance. Furs used for adornment of coat collars and skirt fringe are completely frivolous and unnecessary. In this era of Polartec and fleeces, there is absolutely no excuse for fur. It may be an urban jungle out there, but that zebra print is only shielding you from realizing your own delusions of chic.