Madonna has further thrown heat on the debate of faux versus fur, when she stepped out of the prestigious Cecconi restaurant this weekend sporting a £34,000 chinchilla coat from Italian fashion house Fendi. Madonna, never shy of a headline or two, last week announced her second collaboration with H&M, the Swedish high street retailer. H&M, like most high street boutiques and department stores, uphold an anti-fur policy and only sell faux fur.

Mark Glover, a spokesman for Respect for Animals stated: "Madonna is showing herself up to be shallow and selfish and lacking in all compassion which, particularly in this season of goodwill, is regrettable. People should stop buying her albums until she stops wearing fur." The British media have fired into the singer for wearing the coat, which is rumoured to have cost the lives for 30 - 60 animals.