Fake them out with fabulous faux

Ellen Warren's article, Fake them out with fabulous faux, is published on the Chicago Tribune's website.  The article is about how fake fur and leather look realer than ever these days, and Warren encourages shoppers to buy these items.  However, Warren explains that the "cheap-looking" fake items are still in stores, so shoppers must avoid purchasing these items.


In comparison to the other articles posted in the website's style section, Warren's article was written very informally.  The article was also written in the first person, and some of the statements Warren made led me to not take the article very seriously, such as her "dare" to tell the difference between real and fake leather.


"Today, I'm double-daring you to tell the difference between the real thing and the pretend.  Even after you put it on and pet it.  I'm serious," Warren said.


This statement was somewhat contradicted later in the article when Warren said, "Even the same store can carry some items that brilliantly fool the eye and, on the next rack, an array that screams 'cheap.' "  I think Warren should have included more tips on how to identify the "good" fake fur and leather from the "bad."  I agree with the fact that fake fur and leather are a lot more affordable, but I was also looking for more specific advice on how to pick out such items.


As I read the article, I got an overall negative impression of fake fur and leather based on how Warren described it.  I think that she should have used more positive words when talking about this type of clothing because the point of her article was to try and get people to buy the cheaper, fake items.  Rather than referring to people who wear these items as "fake," "phony" in the first paragraph, she should have started out with a quote she used later in the article, "The technology that has turned fake into fabulous comes at just the right moment for recession-battered shopper who love luxe but can't afford it."  I definitely think that this change would have given the article a much more positive spin.


Fake them out with fabulous faux