Fur gets a bad rap from activists and animal lovers alike, but that hasn't slowed fur down one bit. No matter how much "blood" gets thrown on them by angry PETA protesters, fur coats will never go out of style.

Fur coats and their other fashionable counterparts have been associated with wealth, class, and success for centuries. Fur was first used in prehistoric times for obvious reasons like warmth and protection – but they were also used for fashion and adornment. During the Middle Ages fur was used mainly for fashion purposes and was seen as a symbol for wealth and class affiliation. In those times fur was being used for coats, shawls, cuffs, and even on the hems of gowns.

Today luxury labels like Dior, Fendi and Gucci use fur in their designs, and we all know what class of women can afford those. For those of us who want the look of fur without harming animals or paying the massive price tag, there are plenty of "faux" choices out there for us that look pretty darn real. One of my favorites is this faux fur swing coat from Juicy Couture.

Styledashers, what do you wear: faux fur or the real deal?

Somehow, I missed the whole Spring Cleaning thing, but Fall is actually the best time to clear the clutter from your closets because you're going to need a lot more space for all those new bulkier sweaters and coats. You just need to allocate a Saturday afternoon to go through all your stuff and start thinning out your closet.

However, if you're a packrat like me, you probably have trouble with this task. The best thing to do is set a rule and stick to it -- if you haven't work something in 6 months, you have to let it go. LifeHacker has a great method for figuring this out: turn all of your clothes on hangers the other way, and in six months, if those hangers are still facing the opposite way (meaning you didn't take it out of your closet to wear it), give it away.

Brilliant.

Just don't talk yourself into giving them a second chance with another six months.

[thanks for the tip-off, robotskirts!]

I'm not going to lie. I am not hugely fond of the handbags by Kooba. Both my sisters have one, and while I love the soft, light leather, for some reason, I find that the design of the bags are not functional for my lifestyle. The bags are relatively shapeless, a little too roomy, and the signature, stitch-reinforced, wide handles always slip of my shoulder. I just don't think I'd realistically carry the hadbag all that often if I owned one.

However, I'd most certainly wear Kooba. I am absolutely head over heels in lust with the Moto Leather Jacket by Kooba pictured in all its soft, supple glory above. The jacket buttons up asymmetrically up one side with three button-tabbed flaps and the bottom hit right at the hip. The kicker feature, of course, is the hood, which is totally not functional because who would wear this gorgeous jacket out in weather that actually requires a hood (rain)?

The jacket is available in both vintage brown and black lambskin from Revolve Clothing for - gasp! - $836.

Of all the industries you'd expect to see influencing mainstream men's fashion, the military isn't high on the list. Not to knock the armed forces, but those uniforms are designed for combat, not looking cool.

However, some of the shapes, colors and finer details commonly associated with military apparel have made their way into menswear this fall. Check out the epaulets on this jacket by Theory. Normally, they're used to distinguish rank amongst soldiers, here they're used to add a little accent to an otherwise straightforward jacket. Also check out this jacket from Ralph Lauren. No way would a civilian would ever need that many pockets -- unless, apparently, he's trying to be fashion-forward. And then the most obvious is by far this necklace from David Yurman that's shaped exactly like a dog tag.

So stand at attention men! And when you start to expand your wardrobe this fall, look to the military for a little inspiration.

[via See Jack Shop]

You may have written off the Gap, and I wouldn't blame you. For a while there they were somewhere in between a less-fashionable version of JCrew and a way too expensive (not to mention less trendy) version of Target. Bleh -- what's the point?

But the store has been on the comeback trail recently, and their winter line is particularly impressive. Check out this Moleskin Blazer, for instance. You can dress it up or down, depending on where you're heading -- even turn the collar up when you need to look especially cool. Plus, the dark, muted colors are right in sync with where we're heading this season, and you can layer underneath it with sweaters, or even hooded sweatshirts, when the weather starts to get a little colder.

Best of all, it's only $88 -- which, for a jacket this nice, is a steal. I never thought I'd say this, but it's possible that Gap is back.

[via Damn I Like That]

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a cute boutique in Washington, D.C.. Naturally, I gravitated to the items that I either couldn't afford or couldn't imagine wearing with the one exception being a jaunty tweed wool cap with velvet buttons and a price tag that was almost too good to be true. It was just $20.

When I put the hat on, I was less certain that it was a must-have. There was something -- probably the buttons -- that just didn't fly atop my head. As I was about to return the hat to shelf, a saleswoman walked up to me, and asked me what I thought of the hat. I told her that while it was great, it didn't quite work on me.

She asked to see it on me, and I obliged (it's easier to salespeople off your back if you do what they ask). So I put the hat on and leaned down so that she could exactly what I meant when I said it didn't work. The saleswoman then asked, "Do you wear hats very often?"

I didn't, so I said, "No." At that point, she told me to take off the hat, and follow her directions.

Her first instruction was to leave the sides of my hair down so that the cap (and my hairdo) still covered my ears. I had to admit, covering my ears was a huge improvement, but it still didn't quite make up for the fact that the hat seemed oddly asymmetrical.

She then she asked me to cock the hat slightly to the right. When I did she approvingly responded, "See, there you are. It looks perfect." And girlfriend was right! With two simple adjustments, the hat I love looked totally smashing -- not just on the shelf, but on me.

So, if you're one of those people who can't quite seem to get hats to work on your head, remember these two helpful tips:

1. Cover your ears
2. Tilt your hat slightly to the left.

4 years ago I scoured eBay and then waited in line at Nordstrom waiting for the new shipment of Uggs to come in. Back then I had no idea that these ugly boots (that the fashion industry made me want) would stick around.

Uggs are a sheepskin boot with a wool inner lining. The boots traditionally come in tan; but also come in black, purple, pink, and many other silly colors. Uggs didn't come out in 2003, they just had a sudden spike in popularity. They have actually always been a hit in Australia and New Zealand, since they came out 200 years ago. They reached extreme popularity after World War I and II when they were needed to keep warm on non-pressured planes. Ugg boots regained popularity in the 1960's with the surf and swimming crowds.

Pretty impressive huh?

No matter how Ugg-ly these boots may be, they sure are warm. Then why are the so popular in Los Angeles and other warmer climates you might ask. Perhaps because the inside fibers allows air to circulate giving them a cooling affect as well. You don't even needs socks with Uggs because they are designed to be worn without them. Gee, these boots sounds pretty magical. Oh and don't go for the knock-off, they are made of cow and not sheep so they don't have the same breathable qualities.

Celebrities love Ugg boots too. Pamela Anderson kicked them off for us in the U.S by wearing them between takes on the set of Baaywatch. That is until her blond moment came and she realized Uggs were made out of animals. Kate Hudon, Sienna Miller, Kate Winslet, and many others.

Fingerless gloves had a short stint when I was in college. I am not sure if was an all out trend or not, considering I believe the reason it started was so college kids could smoke without lighting their fingers on fire.

These days smoking is out and fingerless gloves are in. Gone are the days of fingerless gloves being associated with homeless people, they are now chic and can pull together any mundane ensemble. Sure they won't keep you as warm as a pair of regular gloves will, but this is fashion people ... we don't do practical.

They do have some "practical" elements to them, for example: you can use your Blackberry with ease, you wear them indoors and peck away at your laptop, you can even give people wet willies (okay, that was gross but I was running out of "practical" things).

Designers like Marc Jacobs, Philip Lim, Generra, Dior, and The Breed are all on board for the fingerless glove trend. I am know I am on board, are you?

You've seen her. She's the one in line two customers in front of you at the grocery store wearing this season's Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress, a matching pair of Manolos, carrying whatever It bag hasn't even hit the stores yet, and hair swept up without a strand out of place. She's one of those women. All-too-perfect, all the time.

Or maybe you haven't seen her because those women wouldn't even do their own grocery shopping anyway.

Either way, whether you've actually witnessed this type of woman, or she exists in your imagination, you're making fun of her, because these days, according to a story in the Washington Post prompted by the movie "Nanny Diaries," being too perfectly dressed is "seen as shorthand for self-absorption, vapidness and thoughtlessness."

What do you think? Is being perfectly polished something fearless, or now faux pas?

Feeling the heat?

If so, you might want to look into Japanese Kuchou-fuku's air-conditioned clothes. The shirts and jackets keep the wearer cool with two small fans sewn into the back of each garment. The fans are powered by a pocket-sized rechargeable battery pack.

They aren't the most fashionable thing I've seen, even in any of the 10 different styles and a variety of colors, but they do help the environment because they use about 1/50th the energy of a small air conditioner. If you don't mind that you might look like a human blimp, you can get one of these shirts for 11,000 yen ($96).

Normally, it would be pretty hard to think about winter hats when it's as hot as the dickens in Los Angeles right now. However, as I cruise through ShopBop.com, I am instantly starting to feel the chill.

The warm chunky knits of Mischa Lampert's hats and scarves are starting to make me want a snow storm. Alright, so perhaps that is a little extreme but as soon as one nip hits the air I am going to have one of these hats grace my beautiful skull.

All of Mischa's hats are hand-knit and made from 100% wool yarn -- for ultimate warmth and coziness. These hats capture the artsy-cool look at its finest and will definitely turn heads. Oh, and trust me, no one will ask if you made if yourself because this hat looks too good. At first glance I thought about dusting off my knitting needles and giving it a go, but who am I kidding?

The collection, sold on ShopBop.com, includes a variety of hats (the one pictured is my personal favorite) and scarves. Prices range from $143- $209.

As you know, we at Styledash love sharing style blogs with our readers as we come across them in our daily (hourly?) jaunts through the fashionweb, so we could hardly contain ourselves when we found out that design blog NOTCOT had branched out into fashion with Notcouture (excellent play on their original name!).

Not quite a blog, not quite a social site, Notcouture allows fashionistas to sign-up and submit images that link to sites, blog posts, and stores. The result is a gorgeous gallery of clothes, handbags, jewelry, and just about anything else that looks good. Because they launched recently, they've partnered with various stores and brands for discounts and giveaways, so it's definitely worth a peek.

Summer is almost over -- sad isn't it? Try not to get too upset because the best part of August is beating the heat by staying inside and planning your Fall wardrobe. With all of the 500 plus page fashion mags out there, runway recaps on the web, and hundreds of fashion blogs throwing information at you, it's hard to know where to begin. I like to start with color. Planning your palette can help you get inspired for the season, and where better to start than the Pantone color report.

Pantone is is the world-renowned authority on color, so what they say goes. Their Fall color report is actually really interesting, it even has designers like Tracey Reese, Nanette Lepore and Catherine Malandrino's color palette and inspiration for their upcoming collections.

The hot colors for Fall are as exotic and have a lot of culinary influences in them. The colors range from browns all the way down to purples. Starting at the top, here are the colors to following this Fall.

• Carafe, is a deep espresso brown.
• Burnt Ochre, a nice earthy autumn orange.
• Chili Pepper, puts a little fire in your wardrobe.
  
• Stargazer, takes the turquoise from the summer and intensifies it.
• Shale Green, is a green that pretty much anyone can wear. It takes what could be murky and gross and infuses a touch of blue/green in it.
• Dusk, is a dusty shade of gray that is kicked up with a touch of blue.
  
• Green Moss, looks just how it sounds.
  
• Lemon Curry, walk on the exotic side and take summer's favorite shade of yellow into new territories.
  
• Cashmere Rose, this color is so soft, romantic, and delicious you will want all of your fall dresses in this shade.
  
• Purple Wine, much softer and easier to wear than a harsh red wine color.

Ever wonder what an electric hell coat looks like? This is it. This is hell in form of an electrical coat.

Fellow fashion blogger Kristopher Dukes tipped me off on this fashion nightmare. You can now find her curled up in a corner, in the fetal position, clutching her copy of Vogue. Our thoughts are with you Kristopher, don't worry this trend won't catch. It might catch on fire which is probably for the best.

The site that sells this mess is called Allyn's Crafts and also sells other darling fashions like clear hooded raincoats, clear belted raincoats, and some freaky medieval garb.

Sites like this make me wonder, it actually makes me wonder a lot things like: What is this guy on? How much money has he poured into this silly business and who buys this crap?

If you are one of the folks that does buy this crap just know that all pieces are custom and prices start at $150 for rain-wear and "artistic" clothing starts at $200. Ugly clothes can be expensive too.