Dried plums have replaced prunes, corn sugar is replacing corn syrup and vegan leather is really just a modern version of pleather, with a more eco-friendly name.

Where pleather always used to be derogatory in nature, vegan leather is, now, both an oxymoron and an oh-so-hip fashion trend. And just so you’re in the know, there are two basic types of plastic-leather to be aware of.  One is polyurethane pleather which is usually machine washable and can be dry cleaned. It’s also slightly breathable. The other version, PVC pleather, does not breathe and can be very hard to clean. Think Britney Spears’ red pleather cat suit.

Modern advances in fake leather, er, faux leather can make it difficult to tell the difference between it and the real cow skin – leather.  And, that’s just the way vegan leather marketers want you to think: cow skin. With the whole “faux is for the real person” attitude of anti-fur campaigns, the on-trend popularity of vegan leather only adds fuel to the fire of a movement already growing at a furious (pun intended) pace.

Whatever you want to call it, though, faux leather, pleather or vegan leather, the price point offerings are a natural fit for our faltering economy.

Here are some of our favorite vegan leather choices. Simply click each photo for more information. Enjoy!

And, I’ve always suspected that Ross’s leather pants were really pleather, even though he insisted they were leather.  If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s season 5 of Friends.  And, here is the link to one of the funniest scenes that has ever taken place on TV: