Prada goes faux for fall (faux fur, that is)

I’ve spent a lot of time and energy in this space complaining about how designers keep trying to make fur bags happen, and usually during those rants I also wonder about why more companies aren’t using faux fur for their ill-advised fuzzy bags. Few designers hesitate to use stamped croc or python, so why not a little fake mink or chinchilla? The primary argument that I see people making for real fur in outerwear is the warmth that it provides, and my phone and keys certainly don’t require my handbag to maintain any particular temperature.

It looks as though Prada has answered my prayers, as it so often does. The brand has debuted a line of faux fur bags for Fall 2011, and not only are the prices half that of most real fur bags, but no cute little critters had to give up their coats to make these designs happen. That’s right, I still don’t really love these bags, but I dislike them less than if they were real fur and twice the price. If that makes the sense.

Actually, I should amend that. I’m not mad at the Prada Mohair Garden Tote, right, because it uses faux mohair that’s short enough that the structure of the underlying bag isn’t totally lost. And that’s my biggest gripe with fur bags – the material almost always overwhelms the shape. The combination of a short fur and simple shape prevents that from happening with this bag, so it gets my tentative seal of approval. You know, if you’re looking for a fur bag.

The Prada Eco Pelliccia Faux Fur Wristlet isn’t bad either, if only because a bag like that doesn’t necessarily lose anything if it looks like a puff ball. It’s small and without structure, which makes up for a multitude of fur’s normal sins. The only stinker\ of the three is the Prada Mongolia Garden Tote, which uses faux fur that’s too stringy and long to really be attractive on a handbag. But still, with all three designs showing three-figure price tags, I can’t complain too much. If you’ve been wanting a fur bag, here’s the best way to do it.

Prada Mohair Faux Fur Garden Tote, $995 via Saks.

Prada Eco Pelliccia Faux Fur Wristlet, $370 via Saks.

Prada Eco Mongolia Faux Fur Garden Tote, $995 via Saks.