OK. So I'll admit that I'm a sucker for a good list. Grocery lists, "to do" lists, Christmas lists (wait, that was last week)—you name it. Lists are a fantastic source of information (see our favorite lists), as demonstrated by this bit of list gold I found while browsing Time Magazine's "Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas" list: Vogue editor Anna Wintour is number one. Ha!

While she may not have made it into Time for the same reasons that she tops our unfashionable lists, Anna has long been on our radar for her furry ways, and frankly, we're not surprised that she topped Time's list as well. I mean, we've told her time and time again that fur comes from tortured animals who are often skinned alive, but the woman is as cold as her name implies. Check out our ad featuring the faux pas queen herself:

Written by Lianne Turner

Maybe you remember this phrase from your childhood: "Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire."

Well, does that apply to Giorgio Armani, or did he hit his head—causing him to have a drastic about-face? Because the Armani who was once swearing off fur is now dressing babies in it just one short year later. Note to Armani: Rabbits are furry animals no different from dogs, cats, foxes, and minks.

So, shoppers who were on their way into his flagship store in Milan were treated to a glimpse of how Armani looks to us now that he apparently can't break his rabbit habit. PETA Europe posted this rather pointed portrayal of Pinocchio Armani just outside the store:

Because, seriously, what kind of person learns about the cruelty of the fur industry, pledges to be fur-free, and then decides to kill animals for "fashion" anyway? You tell us.

Written by Amanda Schinke

Variety/Creative Commons

Hopefully this will serve as a message to McQueen and others who condone the torture of animals for their designs that compassionate people will not continue to indulge their cruel fetishes, and that their archaic sense of what’s “fashionable” will soon be little more than an ugly footnote in the history books. That, or they’ll obliviously keep it up until some legislator has the good sense to ban fur farming for good and put them out of business. Whichever comes sooner is fine with me.

I’ll update this entry with more info as this story develops.

Topshop is one of Britain’s largest clothing retailers, and for a long time now, they’ve been busy doing for animal-free fashion what the Body Shop has done for cruelty-free cosmetics. Not only do they refuse to sell fur or exotic skins, but they advertise their ethical choices with pride. In 2006, they filled the window of their flagship store in London with this beautiful anti-fur display, and this week, they’ve outdone themselves. Check out their latest display, which draws attention to the cruelty inherent in the exotic-skins trade. It’s a piece of art.

Twenty-one-year-old Flagstaff resident Rachel Feather knows about making sacrifices—not only does she (apparently voluntarily) live in Flagstaff, but she’s recently given up her own name to help PETA make a point. Heretofore, Ms. Feather will be known as FishingHurts to friends and family, having legally changed her name as a way of starting conversations about how fish experience stress and pain just like chickens, cows, pigs, cats, and dogs, and—conveniently for us—directing people to PETA’s pro-fish website FishingHurts.com.

FishingHurts, who has been vegetarian since she was 13, calls fish the "forgotten animal" and was adamant that her name-change be used to help her finned friends, who tend to get overlooked even by people who are good enough to recognize that land animals deserve our compassion. As FH puts it, "Fish should be respected, not mutilated on hooks or dragged up from the sea. I'll remind people of that every time they say or read my name."

A big thanks to FishingHurts for making what’s honestly a really big change in her life to help draw attention to the horrific practices inherent in the industrialized slaughter of fish. Amazing stuff.

Also, to make up for my gratuitous slander of Flagstaff, Arizona, for the sake of a cheap laugh, here are three fun facts about that fine city—which is already that much more beautiful for numbering compassionate souls like FishingHurts (née Rachel Feather) amongst its citizens:

1.) Flagstaff is the birthplace of singer Michelle Branch, actor Ted Danson, and astronomer Clyde Tombaugh—who discovered the (now ex-) planet Pluto in 1930.

2.) Flagstaff has an annual rainfall of 23 inches and an annual snowfall of 110 inches.

3.) Getting back to the animal-friendly theme here, Flagstaff is home to the confusingly named New Jersey Pizza Company, which serves a delicious assortment of soy cheese pizzas to Arizona’s vegans and soy-cheese enthusiasts.

So yay, Flagstaff. And yay, Rachel FishingHurts. Keep up the great work.

I’m back! I hope reading Amy’s posts wasn’t too much of a trial in my absence. If, for some reason, you find yourself missing her unique stylistic flair now that I’m back, you can still get a daily dose of Ms. Cook on PETA’s Veg Cooking blog. Fair warning, though: All of the posts are about cooking stuff, from what I can tell. The woman has an obsession with food.

Speaking of food, here’s a great little spoof on the cooking show format that was made for us by PETA member Eric Steinman. It’s called Cooking With Liz:

-Jack

DannySeo/Creative Commons

As an aside, I should point out that I don’t normally get quite this excited about women’s fashion, but Stella’s win is more than just an accolade for a talented designer—it’s a message to the fashion world that truly innovative and progressive designers can do just fine without using fur or leather. Stella, who has been a great friend to PETA over the years, has always been outspoken about her desire to keep her designs animal-friendly, and even took the time to narrate an anti-fur video to help us to persuade other designers to follow suit. Congratulations, Stella—and thanks for everything that you do.

Although the media are focusing their attention on other issues now that the furor over the Michael Vick case has died down for the time being, the horrors of dogfighting are just as present as they ever were—and there is still a long, uphill battle ahead for the animal protection community as we work to stamp out this cruel blood sport forever. Yesterday, at a hearing in Virginia to determine a trial date for Vick and his codefendants, PETA members gathered to remind the public that all dogfighters need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that all dogs deserve justice—not just the ones who happen to be abused by famous football players.

Fox News Atlanta is currently airing an investigation into the hideous practice of fox penning, in which animals—usually foxes, wildcats, or coyotes—are chased, cornered, and torn to shreds by hunting dogs. Penning events can last up to several days, with the hunters leaving the fenced-in area so that the dogs can “exercise.” You can watch the first part of the Fox investigation here, and learn more about this horrific blood sport on reporter Randy Travis’s blog. It’s great to see that this practice is being exposed for what it is, and hopefully the investigation, which is airing tonight, will go some way to getting it stopped forever.

A couple of weeks ago, The Daily Mail reported on the bloody reality behind the sick new trend in the fashion industry of wearing reptiles on the runway, with the headline "Pythons Skinned and Left to Die." The article describes the procedure that monsters like Naomi Campbell are trying to make popular as follows:

To help draw attention to this industry, the beautiful Lisa B unveiled her new ad for PETA UK today. Check it out — it really is something special.