"There's a point of view from many people in the fashion industry that having real leather or fur pieces adds a kind of elevated conception, " she said.

CNN: Vegan couture: Faux meets fabulous

Ms. McGovern, on the other hand, plays the stately Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey, " but in real life, we know she is a proper rock chick, with the guitar, band and leather pants to prove it.

WSJ: Prime Time | Beauty's New HD-Ready Icons

Microsoft's rejection of skeuomorphism - the idea that applications need to look like their real-world equivalents - distinguishes it from Apple's OS X whose calendar app features a leather-skinned interface with ripped paper to hint at earlier entries.

BBC: Windows 8 and the Surface tablets: The experts weigh in