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   Fashion, his studies showed, is defined as that which helps set personal style, is with the current trends and adds an element of sensuality. Fur fits the bill, but is that floor-length mink for everyone? ‘Certainly, all-out glamour fur coats are making a resurgence,’ said Richard H. He has served as the Fur Council of Canada’s resident trend consultant for the past four years. The founder of Paris-based Première Vision’s Trend Observatory, he is an expert on textile trends.
   At least long-haired fur trim remains bigger than ever. Next fall, expect to see fox, coyote, lynx, finn raccoon other long haired pelts around the edges of fur or cloth coats. ‘The trend is toward more wild, natural looking fur trims, with more volume,’ he said.
   When it comes to fur coats: ‘The strongest trend now is toward natural-looking fur—but accentuated, even exaggerated.’ he said. Sheared beaver or muskrat is dyed to look like leopard or other animal print. Using special dye processes, shearing, grooving the pelt is rendered with myriad special effects. ‘Sometimes more than four different dye processes are applied tone pelt to obtain shading, ombre or light effects, even optical effects—yet at the same time they must be natural. A paradox, no?’
   Colour provides further studies in contrasts. There are black and blackened tones, with purest white and all variations of still going strong. Pastel-hued furs were everywhere, sometimes printed, sometimes not. ‘Another strong trend is the "décoloration" of a pelt,’ he said. ‘That is, distressed or faded, like denim.’
   For the omnipresent reversible coats and jackets, designers seem obsessed with exploring new options on the reverse of the skin. ‘There are more and different effects,’ he said. ‘It’s very exciting. Sometimes the reverse side is sueded or left smooth. A pattern can be printed, or [one] can try different effects.’
   For the fourth year, five rising ready-to-wear designers were recruited by the Design Network. Their mission: learn about fur and the specialized techniques required. Result: Montréal’s Yso created ephemeral effects with fur by slashing it into ribbons and fringe, while Pat McDonagh spun mink lacework. Toronto’s super-hip design duo Hoax Couture wove fox into checkerboard patterns and Christine Kossak created bead-and-fur accessories.
   Former model and current performance-artist-turned-fashion-designer Alan Chau caused a stir among the old-guard fur types. One "wearable art" piece created for the Design Network depicted a primitive fox sheath, from which arose leather fairy wings—sort of Barbarella meets Lord of the Rings. ‘I execute my own vision, which tends to be sculptural. I’m not really thinking about trends,’ he said.
   Is this what women want? Is this fashion? ‘I think fashion has to do with the environment and how it’s affecting you. I design to reflect that. So in that light it’s all about fashion, right?’ • Susan Kelly

Susan Kelly is Montréal correspondent for Lucire.