Last night while riding the L-train, I saw a woman wearing a wonderful vintage coat with a fur stole  pinned around her neck, a little like the Ralph Lauren look (left). I found myself starring at her and contemplating whether or not I could reasonably work a fur stole [vintage or faux - of course] into my wardrobe. The stole seems like it could be a bit cumbersome – it would drive me wild if the thing didn’t sit perfectly. A compromise, if it needs to be called such, seems to be lapels covered in fur.

Oscar de la Renta had a wonderful series of  colorful coats for F/W 2010. I think the unnaturally dyed fur makes the look come across as playful and not so stuffy. After all, what do you really think of when you imagine a fur stole – I’m guessing an older white woman from the UES, yeah? Band of Outsiders had a quirkier version of this trend with a fur trimmed blazer that upon further consideration makes the model look like she has a fox draped over her shoulders (kind of awesome if it’s faux…but it isn’t, so maybe that’s kind of creepy). And finally there is 3.1 Phillip Lim which went for the casual “sheerling lined” look;  I’ve already seen a bit of this style in the city and it’s pretty good looking.

Photos via NYMag