We’ve noticed a recent flurry of blog posts and news articles dedicated to the discussion of fur in fashion. Perhaps it’s because the weather in the Northern Hemisphere is turning cold, or perhaps it’s because it’s a perennial topic of debate, but there’s no question about it: Lots of people have fur on the brain right now.

Yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle noted that Gilt.com’s latest sale fur-lined garments sold out in minutes, leading one blogger to ask, “Do people (and by this I mean young-ish, educated, stylish people) really still desire to be draped in dead animals? The answer, it seems, is a loud and unabashed YES!”

And on The-Coveted.com, one of our favorite thoughtful websites, the question wasn’t whether one should buy or boycott fur, but whether it elevated or ruined a pair of spats.

With the advent of certification standards like Origin Assured, more people are seriously weighing the ethics of fur without indulging a knee-jerk reaction. And whatever has gone before in the realm of debate seems to have gone out the window.

Rabbit Fur Spats, $395 at Omelle.com.