https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 04 May 2026 01:59:51 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247900 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:30:15 +0000 Kim 247900@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>ROFL at "I just can switch over cold-TURKEY"....I just found that a very amusing end to this thread! LOL Thanks for that! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247834 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:17:30 +0000 Marley 247834@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hey wow! I got my question answered - and a WHOLE lot more on this thread! Thanks so much for expressing your opinions on the leather/pleather - vegetarian issues. I too agree with those who say doing even a little bit, makes a HUGE difference - and I don't think that the inconsistencies are anything to get real hung up about. I eat fish - and once in a great while chicken - never eat red meat, limited dairy products, take vegetarian supplements - wear leather shoes - but no clothes that are made out of animal skins. I certainly know that I could do more. To me, it has been a process - I'm not done yet in moving toward the vegetarian life-style - I just can't switch over cold-turkey! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247805 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:36:46 +0000 Steph 247805@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I definitely don't want to make this into a huge debate, but I obviously agree with Maya here, and as I read what you wrote I was reminded of people who ask me questions about my vegetarianism. It usually goes something like "why are you a vegetarian?" I explain it's for ethical reasons. Then they immediately ask "but do you wear leather?" When I say no, they always seem a bit deflated. Then they ask about whether I eat dairy and I explain that I do but try to limit it. Their faces light up, as if they have "caught" me. </p> <p>I fail to see their point, however. What are they "catching" me in? Apparently a perceived inconsistency. But who cares? I don't go around saying "I'm so much better than you are because I don't eat meat and I don't wear animal skins." If *they* perceive my vegetarianism as such a threat, I think that says more about them than it does about me. I also don't understand what they hope do gain. Do they think that by pointing out this potential inconsistency, I will say "wow, you're totally right, I'm going to start eating meat and wearing fur and leather now." And if I DID say that, what would they care? Do they have some vested interest in me eating meat and wearing animal skins? </p> <p>I understand that from a philosophical perspective, people might like consistency. The only thing that bothers me is if someone mis-labels themselves. So I absolutely loathe it when someone who doesn't eat red meat, but eats other animals, or someone who eats fish but no other flesh, calls themselves a vegetarian. I think that using the label is damaging to real vegetarians because it confuses non-vegetarians. But no one here was doing that. Some people were just saying that they prefer not to wear leather when it doesn't interfere with their comfort. At the end of the day, they have ethical issues with it, but they weigh those issues with competing interests, such as their ability to wear shoes with any kind of ease. When the weighing is done, shoes win out, but jackets do not. I actually don't think it's inconsistent. I'm sure people like Maya would agree that using an animal for shoes is just as cruel/disturbing/etc. as using it for jackets. But she has a competing interest when it comes to shoes that doesn't exist with other items of clothing. It's like someone decides how much they are willing to sacrifice, and they say "on a scale of 1-10, I will make a sacrifice that is equivalent to a 7." If not wearing leather shoes amounts to a sacrifice of a 9 for that person, they will wear leather shoes. If not wearing a leather coat is a sacrifice of a 4, they won't wear the coat. Everyone has a right to make their own scale. </p> <p>Why should anyone dictate to someone else that they have to sacrifice at a level of 10 for the questionable purpose of consistency? If Maya decides she will sacrifice at a level of 8 and Angie at a level of 2 (obviously, these are arbitrary numbers, and everyone's scale would be different), that is internally consistent for that individual. But even if I were to agree that they were being inconsistent, it seems to me that the only value in demanding consistency is being able to call someone a hypocrite, and I don't see much value in that.</p> <p>I think the only true, useful, purpose of consistency is that it enables someone to use a label. But we're all intelligent enough to explain our preferences and if there isn't one that fits, we don't have to rely on a label, despite its ease of use. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247804 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:33:21 +0000 Maya 247804@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>p.s. Marley! I owe you an apology for hijacking your thread. I hope you got the resolution you were seeking so this doesn't end up being too much of a distraction. I will gladly edit out my comments if you prefer. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247797 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:20:17 +0000 Maya 247797@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm sorry you feel that way BJ. it's always easier, though, to preface something with "If I were..." and then speculate than to put it into practice. I'm not talking about some minor inconvenience or slight discomfort. If you have followed any of my shoe-hunting threads at all, you would know this is an ongoing problem for me, and it started long before I even cared about clothes or fashion. Even with all the variety I have with leather shoes, I still have an extremely difficult time finding shoes I can live in. </p> <p>As Steph and I both mentioned, there is no real harm in doing the best you can do and I don't see why anyone would argue to the contrary. Regardless of the fact that I do utilize animal products, I'm still using substantially less than I used to, not to mention a substantial amount less than most people. I may not have completely eliminated my need for animal products, but I have drastically reduced it. Why is that bad? Imagine what would happen if everyone made a small sacrifice, and how quickly those sacrifices would add up.</p> <p>My ex-bf wore leather and ate fish, but didn't eat poultry or beef. Angie doesn't eat mammals. I read that Audrey Hepburn didn't eat veal for ethical reasons but she did eat pretty much everything else. On the flipside, I have friends who are 100% vegan and don't even take pills that may have animal gelatin. All of these are varied levels of sacrifice, and all of them are valid. </p> <p>Putting pressure on consistency is misguided. It's not a crime or even morally objectionable to be inconsistent. Just have a reason for it. Heck, even if you don't have a reason, who cares? Are you doing something to make a positive difference? Are you making an effort to do something good? When you place so much emphasis on nitpicking consistency, rather than commending a step in the right direction, it shifts the focus to the negative and intimidates and demotivates. Not good. I'd rather be encouraging and positive.</p> <p>YMMV indeed, but to be honest I just don't see the benefit of your philosophy. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247787 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:13:41 +0000 chewyspaghetti 247787@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Some are really bad, and some don't bother me at all. I can usually tell right away. though. Nordie's is great- they will take anything back! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247769 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:58:24 +0000 morethanbeige 247769@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Maya, that puffer is stunning. Now it only needs to be marked down about 80%. ha </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247766 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:48:13 +0000 Barbara 247766@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>LOL Marley. </p> <p>Girl, those hot flashes CAN be intense! I've got my flashes under control, but I cannot wear pleather. Or any synthetic. Makes me sweat just thinking about it. </p> <p>Is it hot in here or is it just me?? </p> <p>LOL! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247758 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:38:41 +0000 bj1111 247758@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>for me, the reason is the crux of the issue. the behavior is not as relevant. for example, if i went veg with regard to diet, because of health reasons, then i can gauge the relative trade off if i go off the ranch. but if i went veg for ethical reasons (don't eat things with a face), then i would be willing to sacrifice flavor/comfort for my ethics. carve outs clearly are an individual issue (see syc), but consistency of practice would clearly depend on the reason for going animal-free.</p> <p>ymmv. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247748 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:29:12 +0000 Maya 247748@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I completely agree with everything Steph said. Much of it is quality, but even so I don't find it too uncomfortable. I guess I wear my jacket open so it isn't as bad. It's from H&amp;M so obviously quality isn't the issue.</p> <p>The whole reason I wanted that CK faux leather trench is because I knew it wouldn't be breathable and therefore would keep me warm. Real leather as outerwear sort of perplexes me because it isn't warm at all to me. I get it as a light jacket in spring or fall, or a layering piece, but it isn't very insulating unless it has a warm lining of some sort.</p> <p>Second, I fall into the "everywhere but my feet" category. I'd love to forego leather for my shoes too, and I did try when I first became veg, but in spite of my best efforts I could not make it work. But I didn't use that as an excuse to just give up and wear leather everywhere else. The issues I have with faux leather shoes are unique to shoes, so there is no reason to make it an all or nothing proposition. Even so, I still make every effort to find non-leather shoes and I have lucked out a handful of times. My Blowfish sandals are very comfortable, and even my Rampage strappy sandals--which I expected to be awful--worked out, although they're probably not 8 hour shoes. Both of them worked because they had adjustable straps and I was able to poke extra holes in them or hook them on the widest setting.</p> <p>Closed shoes are much harder though. I would LOVE to have Steph's easygoing feet, believe me. I don't enjoy wearing leather, but I have to force myself to put it out of my head when it comes to shoes. C'est la vie. I do the best I can. As Steph said, even if I'm not perfect, I'm surely doing something. If everyone made a small sacrifice, it would have an enormous impact.</p> <p>I am having the same struggle now with down puffers. I got one last year without even thinking about where the down is sourced from, and now that I know I would prefer not to buy one again. Research has lead me to a synthetic material that is supposed to be comparably warm (primaloft), but only a handful of jackets exist that use it. I am willing to sacrifice style for compassion though, so if it means getting a North Face coat, too bad. </p> <p>Having said that, I would love to have the $800 for this stylish, warm, non-down puffer. Sigh.</p> <p><a href="http://www.searlenyc.com/store/product3995.html#3995" rel="nofollow">http://www.searlenyc.com/store......html#3995</a></p> <p>Sorry for the tangent...I just really, really wanted to post that puffer... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247609 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:38:02 +0000 marianna 247609@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>AJ - Yes. Just don't make a habit out of it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247608 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:32:11 +0000 AJ 247608@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Marianna - Oh, even better! OK, so they will take back an item if the tags are off and it's been worn? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247606 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:29:57 +0000 Steph 247606@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wear a lot of faux leather (I don't wear animal skins on my body or feet), and I only have this problem with one pair of faux leather knee-high boots. Part of it could be the quality of the fake leather, because I really do wear a lot of it, and am a person who is prone to sweating in general. So definitely give some more faux leather a chance before giving up on it entirely. </p> <p>bj, I saw you were saying that people should be consistent about whether they wear faux leather or not--that it should essentially be an all-or-nothing approach. As I mentioned above, I do fall within that category, since I don't wear any animal skins, including for shoes. However, I completely respect people who do not take the all-or-nothing approach. I always think that doing *something* to help what you see as a problem is better than doing nothing. So if someone feels that they would prefer not to contribute to using animal skins for apparel, but also decides that their feet are in too much pain to limit their choices to faux leather, I don't think there is anything wrong with them saying "but I won't do it for a jacket." They are still helping in some way, and still consuming less. I think that can make a real difference. As a vegetarian, I often see people who are put off by going vegetarian because it's too much of a commitment/sacrifice. But if everyone who felt that way cut their intake by half, it would still make a huge difference. I think it's the same for leather. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247604 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:24:51 +0000 marianna 247604@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nordies doesn't have a return policy! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247603 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:24:23 +0000 AJ 247603@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Marianna, even if we go past the 90 day return policy, they still take it back? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247599 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:21:47 +0000 marianna 247599@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nordies can look it up by the credit card you paid with! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247597 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:18:54 +0000 Marley 247597@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't have the receipt or tags from the NAS faux leather jacket - but I just wore it last night for the first time - and discovered how miserable it was to wear! Do you think I have any chance at all that Nordstroms will take it back? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247594 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:15:05 +0000 AJ 247594@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmmm...this is interesting. I don't have problems with faux leather shoes. I guess my feet don't sweat that much. I haven't yet worn my faux moto jacket, but I do tend to run cold...I'll let you know. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247553 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:40:32 +0000 Anonymous 247553@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Although I loved the faux leather Calvin Klein trench Angie recommend during the NAS, I ultimately sent it back two weeks ago because of breathability. I loved everything else about it, but I wasn't comfortable after wearing it out and about. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247548 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:37:03 +0000 taylor 247548@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yep, synthetics don't breathe. they may look and feel pretty good these days ,but breath-ability is still an issue. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247484 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:36:06 +0000 bj1111 247484@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>two thumbs down on faux leather. i have the same problem with shoes and don't want to repeat the problem with jackets.</p> <p>comfort is such a hard commodity that i prefer not to make it harder by limiting the materials available for my selection. i do understand that some have objections to wearing leather/ eating anything with a face/ etc...but to me, any objection (ethical or otherwise) to wearing animal skin should be consistent. if you've decided to wear leather shoes, i don't understand why not wear leather elsewhere. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247481 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:31:59 +0000 Sveta 247481@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting...does real leather jacket does this to you too? I have the same experience with real leather vs. synthetics shoes but I thought this is shoe specific... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247477 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:31:14 +0000 Carole 247477@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>oooh, how miserable, Marley! But that makes perfect sense, faux leather can't breathe! I had a new mattress pad that came with a our mattress, and everynight I just was miserable, hot and sweaty. A friend mentioned the same thing happened to her, she replaced the mattress pad with a non-sythetic version, and all was right with the world. I ripped that thing off my bed so fast, and although I have the occasional "flash" nothing like that has happened since. </p> <p>I shall not buy pleather, ever! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247476 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:30:39 +0000 Kari 247476@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Faux leather would be my guess. I have a pleather jacket that is actually better than most in terms of being breathable, but it definitely keeps me toasty. I don't mind that because I tend to run very cold. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247474 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:30:05 +0000 ticksgirl 247474@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm glad you brought this up, Marley, though I'm sorry it means your jacket is a problem. I just received a faux leather jacket I ordered today and I've been wondering if breathability would be an issue. Back it goes. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247471 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:28:46 +0000 nicole470 247471@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My pleather jacket, as much as I love it, makes me sweat like a trojan, so no left over hot flushes Marley....it's all the pleather's fault! I also decided not to wear faux leather shoes for the same reason, my feet are just way too fussy to put up with crappy shoes that make my feet smell. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247452 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:18:06 +0000 RandomThoughts (Andrea) 247452@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have one faux leather jacket that I like very much, but in general I stay far away from the stuff. Especially shoes! I can't wear faux leather shoes at all because it makes my feet sweat like crazy. I prefer the real thing, hands down. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247450 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:13:54 +0000 marianna 247450@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Faux leather. My pleather jacket makes me sweat so much too, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going through menopause! It's the lack of ventilation/breathability of the synthetic material, I think. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/menopause-or-faux-leather#post-247446 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:10:36 +0000 Marley 247446@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>OK - so it finally got cool enough at night the last few evenings here to pull out my new faux leather jacket that I got at NAS last summer. I wore it to an outdoor event last night and to run errands late this afternoon. Both times, I was either freezing or I was sweating. I've never owned anything made out of faux leather before, but I decided about a year ago that I was going to stop wearing anything made out of animal skin (except for shoes!) and so I was very excited about this purchase! But, now I am wondering - is the 'freeze, sweat, freeze, sweat' pattern typical when you wear faux leather? or, is it just some left-over menopause hot flashes???? </p>