Game of Throws: this season’s trump card lies in the faux fur stole

If you want to look like a real wrap star this winter, ditch the woollen scarf and slip on a funky faux fur stole instead
Stars in stoles: Alexa Chung and Fearne Cotton are championing the trend
Photos: Photo: XPOSUREPHOTOS.COM
Emma McCarthy3 November 2014

Dressing for winter comes with its own very strict set of rules. No open toes, no bare legs and no fewer than five layers at any given time are just a few chapters in the Official Cold Weather Rulebook. Follow them and you’ll survive the season without developing pneumonia or losing a limb to frostbite. Which is a definite plus. But you also run the risk of spending the coming months in one depressingly stagnant set of clothes that you can’t wait to see the back of come spring.

But does the approach of hibernation season have to equal a style snoozefest? After all, the winter wardrobe isn’t without its positives.

There are the great coats for one, which can keep us entertained for a little or a long while (depending on how many you buy). And then there are the boots that require no effort (and no pedicures).

But the season’s trump card lies in the accessories. From bright beanies and cosy gloves to blanket scarves and ear muffs, more is definitely merrier when it comes to piling on the winter warmers. But the most luxurious and appealing of the lot has to be a plush fur stole.

Faux fur stole - in pictures

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It’s elegant, it’s charming and it’s warm as toast. So it’s little wonder that the fur stole is fast becoming this season’s hottest accessory. But one thing it isn’t this season is old-fashioned because the modern breed of stoles are entirely faux — and not just any faux, but an I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-fur modacrylic faux that’s far superior to standard acrylic. Which, as you can probably see from the offerings on this page, is easier to dye too.

Fearne Cotton, for example, proves that you can’t have too much of a good thing with these colourful incarnations, opting for a mustard, burgundy, teal and bubblegum pink stole by Helen Moore. The British designer, who produces all her faux fur items by hand in a factory just a stone’s throw from her house in rural Devon, offers a smorgasbord of striking colour combinations in her collection from neon to pastel and monochrome.

London-based designer Hannah Weiland’s label Shrimps has also had a hand in persuading the masses to befriend faux thanks to a mass of famous fans and a slot on the London Fashion Week schedule. Her cheeky striped Ivana scarves — available in a host of contrasting hues, from duck-egg blue and tangerine to strawberry and claret — are ideal if you don’t have the £600 available for one of her signature coats.

On the high street, Whistles also champion a host of super-soft stoles this season from lilac to leopard print. While PETA-approved faux fur specialists Ruby + Ed has spent years developing its pretend pelts, making its UK-made candy-coloured option one of the finest on offer.

But perhaps the most recognisable of the bunch are Charlotte Simone’s cult “Popsicle” scarves. Founded in 2011 by Primrose Hill-based designer Charlotte Beecham, the label’s signature colour-dipped scarves — seen around the necks of Olivia Palermo and Rita Ora — are available in both real and faux fabric.

"Our faux is a great alternative as it parallels the quality of real fur as close as possible," says Beecham. "The technology behind faux fur has made leaps and bounds in the last few years. It no longer has a stigma attached to it. In fact it’s pretty damn desirable."

Alexa Chung seems to agree, as she champions her own faux version with a light and airy floral Burberry dress — a look we (and The Rulebook) wouldn’t recommend copying this month. But worth bearing in mind when you’re not ready to say goodbye to your stole come spring.

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