It’s coat that stops people in their tracks, and nine times out of ten it’s faux fur. Not because it’s trying too hard to be loud, but because the texture and bulk of a really great faux fur coat feels considered. Like the woman wearing it made a decision.
Decided this was how she wanted to move through the world. That intention matters. It always has.
We’ve been choosy about what we’ve picked because the category demands it. There’s a big difference between faux fur that looks like it’s apologizing for being faux fur and faux fur that takes over the room. Pile depth is important.
So is lining quality. Even the way it brushes off the shoulder is important. A cheap faux fur coat will look cheap.
A well made coat will live on your coolest friend’s closet floor and scream Susan Penney inherited it from her grandmother. That woman had impeccable taste. We’ve leaned into that.
You’ll find real wearing situations here. That long drama queen coat that you wear over a slip dress for a winter wedding and doesn’t need anything else. That slightly shorter, chunkier version that gives whatever you’re wearing — straight leg jeans! ankle
boots! — permission to look collected without actually trying.
Neutrals because camel and cream and pale grey function as good outerwear investments, things you’ll grab for year after year. And color because faux fur in a thoughtful shade is also one of the easiest ways to give an otherwise simple outfit an outfit-y feeling. Oh, and can we say something about feeling good about buying faux fur?
Because we do. We never bought into the argument that real fur was a luxury worth upholding. These days the quality of faux fur has caught up to the conversation.
Some of these coats you probably can’t tell from real fur from across the room, and we bought several that you can’t tell up close either. Ethically and aesthetically, we’ve finally hit a point where they meet. A faux fur coat shouldn’t be purchased on impulse.
It’s memorable. Once you find the right one you’ll want to wear it for years. Decade.
