Last week was Fashion Week at the Bellevue Collection, and as always, the shows were well attended, well produced and gave the area’s best-dressed glitterati a chance to bring out their bling, don their Louboutins and get a good look at fall trends through the lens of Vogue magazine and Bellevue Collection retailers.

Sportswear-made-chic (a surprising key trend this year), eclectic and bold costume jewelry that would make Coco Chanel herself proud, strategic layering, leather, statement coats and FUR abounded on the runway.

Fur is not a new trend this fall. It was peeking it’s way through in fall 2011 as well when I had a conversation with a Nordstrom fashion PR gal at their fall Designer Preview about their vacillations on whether to include it or not in their show that year. From my memory, they decided on a nod to the trend with a few faux furs here and there, a safe move.

But fur did make the Vogue show, in a major way this year, from many different designers, including Hugo Boss, Milly, Vince adn and even Seattle designer Carole McClellan, long revered for her brilliant use of restyled fur. McClellan was the recipient of a surprise award at the Independent Designer Showcase event for her commitment to and ingenuity with her material of choice. (You’ll be hearing a lot more about Carole McClellan in the next few weeks. She’s one of the featured designers in the EMP’s upcoming Project Leather, the museum’s ode to leather as it relates to music and fashion. McClellan famously dressed Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, Chris Cornell and Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains in her signature rocker chic look.)

As I noted each fur-draped model traipse down the runway, I couldn’t help but wonder how this contentious trend will play in Seattle. Not one audience member that I could see was sporting fur, although we are enjoying some lovely extended summer weather at the moment, making it too warm for fur, faux, real, recycled or new. Which brings me to my point. Are we a fur-wearing city? Is it ok if the fur is vintage or coming from a humane source? Is faux fur a faux pas or the best way to embody the trend? Is wet fur, faux, real, recycled or new, ever really cool?

Sound off Seattle. We’re interested in your take on this issue.  Fur real.