E-Mail This Article to a Friend Fee fie faux fur This season, fake’s the way to go BY NINA SCHWARTZ

Everyone loves BUNNIES. Who wouldn’t? Cute little bunnies, hopping about a meadow without a care in the world, nibbling on flowers and twitching their adorable little bunny noses. There are black bunnies, brown bunnies, marble bunnies, pink bunnies, and winter-white bunnies, all being shown with mostly black accessories this season. There are also minks, which resemble ferrets, I think, and they look fabulous with a tall pair of leather boots, and those soft — so soft — little foxes with their tiny little faces. I could just squeeze them and hug them and fasten them around my shoulders with a satin bow.

Wait a minute now, put down the PETA sweatshirt and the can of spray paint. Though the glamorous look and feel of fur is all the rage this season, many stores are catering to both the fashion- and socially conscious sets. Faux fur is just as attractive, just as classy, and significantly cheaper than real fur, so you can be chic and luxurious and no one has to die.

There’s nothing like a fur coat or capelet (mini cape — how cute!), and right now they’re everywhere. Banana Republic has a faux-mink jacket ($328) and capelet ($98). Guess model Paris Hilton sports the real stuff, but the store offers a faux-fur-collared bouclé coat ($138) in pink or white. H&M is showing a pink houndstooth trench ($129) with a faux-fur-trim collar, as well as a very sophisticated white wool blazer ($59.90) with a fluffy faux-fur collar to match. The Gap has its " warmest jacket, " a down coat ($98) with a detachable fur-trimmed hood in pink, black, white, or red. At Urban Outfitters you can find a soft white faux-rabbit zip-up vest ($88) for the snow-bunny look, while Jari has a variety of Marrika Nakk plush stoles ($160), which tie around your shoulders with a satin ribbon and come in fun colors such as pink, magenta, and blue.

Of course, where outerwear leads, footwear must follow. Aldo makes a crazy pair of white platform snow boots ($89.99) enrobed in what is essentially a hot-pink toupee. Steve Madden’s Campuss1 loafers ($99.95), in zebra or leopard print, are synthetically soft and furry, as is the trim of Madden’s Iglou suede boot ($79.95) and Koalla high boot ($129.95). And Nordstrom is showing perhaps the strangest must-buy of the season: the faux-fur slipper sock ($16). Thick and warm enough to be worn as a slipper, it has a fluffy cuff of fur crowning the tube of the sock.

The fun doesn’t end there. Aldo has furry pink and green handbags ($34.99). If you’re in the mood to splurge, check out Kate Spade’s faux-Persian-lamb " Zhivago " bag ($295), available at Nordstrom. Target is your one-stop-shopping haven for all things faux fur: scarves ($12.99), gloves ($8.99), hats ($9.99), throw blankets and pillows ($29.99 and up), a faux-mink teddy bear ($29.99), and a beanbag chair ($149.99) available in faux lynx, mink, or chinchilla. If you think we’ve missed something, just check out www.fabulousfurs.com.

Keep in mind that faux fur isn’t only for the " Kumbaya " crowd. It looks and feels as elegant and sumptuous as the real stuff at a fraction of the price, it’s easier to clean, and it’s available in a wide variety of colors and styles. And that’s a good thing, because those cute little bunnies are awfully hard to catch.

Where to get it:

• Aldo, various locations; www.aldoshoes.com

• Banana Republic, various locations; www.bananarepublic.com

• Gap, various locations; www.gap.com

• Guess, 80 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 236-4147; CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge, (617) 621-3432; www.guess.com

• H&M, 350 Washington Street, Boston, (617) 482-7001; CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge, (617) 225-0895; www.hm.com

• Jari, 131 Charles Street, Boston, (617) 725-0244; 59 Dartmouth Street, Boston, (617) 262-5544.

• Nordstrom, 6 Providence Place, Providence, Rhode Island, (401) 621-3111; www.nordstrom.com

• Steve Madden, 324A Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 262-4600; CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge, (617) 374-9952; www.stevemadden.com

• Target, various locations; www.target.com

• Urban Outfitters, 361 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 236-0088; 11 JFK Street, Cambridge, (617) 864-0070; www.urbanoutfitters.com