Fall Is All About Fuzzy Fashion

Plush textures are in with brands like Loro Piana, Khaite, Burberry and Gucci embracing faux fur, fluff and feathers for outerwear, shoes, bags, hats, cuffs and scarves.

Here comes the fuzz. During the past few years, designers have gone all out with pieces in faux fur, fluff and feathers on everything from shearling-lined shoes (originated by Ugg, then reinvented by Gucci and Birkenstock) to bags, hats, cuffs, detachable collars and scarves — even mittens. In this age of anxiety, plush tactile materials are the fashion equivalent of Xanax.

The Danish word “hygge” — what we’d call “warm and fuzzy,” referring to things and people — has been trending for years. One dictionary definition reads: “calm comfortable times; the absence of frustrations; good friends, good food, hot drinks, blankets and candlelight.” Amid the pandemic, political strife and global warming, we’ll take comfort wherever we can.

As the sturdy, stalwart and wildly unflattering puffer started to go “poof,” after making bodies seem amorphously stiff for years, “chubbies” are back. Their first go-round was in 1936, when Vogue declared the wild, young, waist-length fur jackets a mania. In 1971, Yves Saint Laurent, a fan of ’30s fashion, floated them down Paris’ high-fashion runways, causing yet another sensation. These were the early days of glam rock, and YSL, with his love of louche looks, brought back platforms, turbans and chubby shrugs made of faux fur or feathers in true 1940s cocktail-hour style.

According to Nordic fashion journalist and TikTok star Mosha Lundström Halbert, who created the cozy sustainable-clothing brand Therma Kota with her Swedish family: “‘Hygge’ is Danish, but we use that term throughout Scandinavia. I grew up in a very hygge-forward household with blankets, candles and natural tactile textures galore, much needed for long winter nights.”

Therma Kota offers shearling outerwear, accessories and home goods in these irresistibly shaggy materials. “There’s something comforting, inherently nurturing about fuzzy fashion,” says Lundström Halbert. “It takes us back to childhood, being bundled up and protected. It speaks to our softer side. Postpandemic, there has been a style pivot away from the hard edge — anything scratchy, sharp or too structured feels harsh and dated right now. If we’re going to keep talking about ‘quiet luxury,’ we need to acknowledge that true luxury is about wearing things that feel good.”

Brands like Loro Piana, Khaite, Burberry, Gucci, the Row and Adrienne Landau are comfortably on board — and on body. Here are some plush and pretty examples.

Trapper Hat
ADRIENNE LANDAU
● With signature ear­flaps, the now-fashionable trapper hat — aka “aviator hat” — dates back to World War I, when it protected pilots’ heads from frost.
Price upon request, adriennelandau.com

Tote
LORO PIANA
● Who needs a security blanket when you can tote your warm woolens everywhere with you?Price upon request, loropiana.com