How do you feel about(Vintage) fur?

[rocketeer]

The real stuff obviously.
With a large influx of Eastern Europeans into the UK real fur coats have seen a bit of a comeback. We see lots here, many of course are European but that has also brought out the minks and sables full coats and stoles sold in England etc.
Would you ladies buy these coats to wear to certain outings such as Goodwood where fashion is on parade as well as old cars as these high end accessories were part of the look back then.
I am not talking about new items often from China and don't really want to start a debate on how Astrakhan pelts are made. Just the idea of wearing vintage fur in the world today.
many thanks, J.

Sorry if this has been discussed before but I could not find a relevant topic.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's been a while since we discussed this, so remember the ground rules -- discuss vintage fur only, not modern fur and not the politics of fur.

I don't wear it -- aside from the ethical questions, I just don't have any interest in fur. I'm not a high-end person, I don't move in high-end circles, and I don't have a high-end aesthetic. Someone gave me a fur coat a few years ago -- I don't know what kind of fur it is other than that it's brown, but I didn't have any use for it myself so I gave it to my cat to use as a bed. She seems to like it OK.

 

[sheeplady]

So I think this is a generational thing, at least in my area. I'm trailing Gen Xer. I kind of grew up "conscious" of the fur debate all my life, and I've chosen not to wear it as of yet. I'm part of the "101 Dalmatians generation"- I grew up with that movie. I own one vintage piece of fur, a collar, which I bought at an estate sale. Still haven't gotten around to wearing it, I may never.

I'd never wear a coat or a stole and I work the sort of job that I could wear a fur coat; I know women who do. But I'd feel gaudy in a fur coat. And even though it's vintage, and I grew up on a farm (very aware of the circle of life), I still feel odd about wearing fur. Perhaps this is why I haven't worn the collar...

Now, I do see a lot of younger people (I teach undergrads) wearing modern fur... something which I never saw when I was an undergrad, and I think would have been seen as negative by my generation. So you may get a different view on fur coats and other items from younger women. I too am seeing a lot more fur these days, so I imagine there may be a market for such vintage things.

 

[Edward]

Every year the Goodwood Revival has loads of women wearing fur vecause That's What They Did Back Then. Despite the fact that it's 20 Celsius....

 

[LizzieMaine]

It was far more common in the Era to see fur trimmings on a coat than a full-on fur coat, unless you were a college sophomore in October. It was also more far more common, when you did see fur, to see sealskin or mouton fur on bourgeois women and fox or ermine on upper-class women than mink or sable. The latter were strictly for the climbers and the nouveau-riche, and sable, especially, was seen by a lot of people as the sort of thing a sugar daddy would give his mistress.

 

[swanson_eyes]

I wear faux fur, but I only like trim. I don't know why I don't like full fur coats. Personal preference, I guess. I suppose if I found a vintage piece with real fur trim I might be inclined to wear it since the animal is long gone. I'm not even sure it's about how it makes the coat look, in my case. I just find it's warmer than a scarf and doesn't create dreads in my hair like knit scarves do.

 

[rocketeer]

It was far more common in the Era to see fur trimmings on a coat than a full-on fur coat, unless you were a college sophomore in October. It was also more far more common, when you did see fur, to see sealskin or mouton fur on bourgeois women and fox or ermine on upper-class women than mink or sable. The latter were strictly for the climbers and the nouveau-riche, and sable, especially, was seen by a lot of people as the sort of thing a sugar daddy would give his mistress.

I'm a bit new to the selling fur, sold a few stoles but not with heads and feet etc, they(stoles) appear to be the most popular items.
I also see many so called 'Seal' or 'Beaver' coats which are in fact Mouton (French for sheepskin) for sale, and is a popular addition to mens sports leather jackets and US Naval G1s. Astrakhan looks very glam and as you say Lizzie, the minks and sables were often seen on film stars or girlfriends of popular male personalities. On that subject a lot of men and women in the UK like the Hollywood glam look, though to me get it all wrong. By that I mean how many are striving for an authentic look then and go overboard with their Cadillacs and high end Chryslers and Continentals, then bring their look down with Hawaiian shirts and pedal pushers when a this was really a business mans luxury car. A bit hot though for a full on fur even in our high summer.
Goodwood in September here is maybe thee car show to be seen at, a lot of ladies and gents emulating the past glamorous but dangerous days of racing and motoring in the 40s and 50s. I'm a bit surprised there is not a Lady Docker lookalike contest. Now thats an idea "All fur coat and no knickers" as many would say about her!

 

[~Kate~]

I wear faux fur in vintage styles, but get too squeamish to wear the real thing. I don't mind other people wearing vintage fur but it just makes me uncomfortable to wear it myself. I do have one real fur stole in my vintage collection that was given to me for free (my grandmothers friend was going to throw it out if I didn't want it). I've had it for over a year and still haven't decided what to do with it. It's sitting in a box and I doubt I will ever wear it. I have a lot of other pieces in my collection I can't wear (due to their fragile condition or small size), so it might just remain with the other unworn vintage in my closet.

 

[Edward]

I've had a couple of mouton collars and a couple of sheepskins, but I don't really think of those as 'fur'. I do have one mink stole, a present from a friend years ago, but it only gets worn with a very specific outfit....

(2007. I wish I was that young and thin again!!)

 

[sheeplady]

I don't think of sheepskin as fur either. Sheep aren't grown only (or even primarily, in most cases) for their pelt, but it's a by-product. Fur I consider to be the product of the primary reason an animal is raised.

There's a grayish area here.... like Sable rabbits that are often raised for their pelt (primary) but often eaten (secondary) by those that raise them.

I grew up on a sheep farm and we got very little for a pelt... $2 to $5. We could get $1 a pound for the meat, wholesale, so $40 to $60 for the meat of one animal (minus butchering costs), but $2 for the pelt... Oftentimes we didn't bother with the pelts and just buried them. It was far too much work to get them to a processor, since we didn't have hundreds being slaughtered at once. Granted, this was a while ago.

I spit up a little bit when I see a $1,000 sheepskin jacket, knowing the lamb producer might have gotten $2 for the skin...

 

[Bixie Bliss]

No, I'd never wear real fur. I don't buy leather or any skins either, although I do have an old pair of leather boots that I am wearing until they wear out then I will replace with synthetic. As uncomfortable as I feel wearing leather, I'd feel more uncomfortable chucking out a pair of boots with another year or two's wear in them and replacing. I have a black cape that has a fake fur trim but it is obviously faux (It looks plasticy to me) and I have tested it to make sure. I suspect I look more like a muppet than a star of the silver screen when I wear it though!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I don't know if o have the right chromosomes to comment here, but I enjoy fur. I have some coats with fur trim and I've bought my wife several pieces as well. All of the fur was vintage as new pieces are rare and very expensive. I understand the ethical issues some have and respect them, but I have no such compunctions myself.

I just like fur. That's it. I like it and I'll wear it when I feel like it. No one has ever questioned me or my wife on our decision to wear fur. I don't think such a confrontation has any place in polite society; regardless of the passion you have for your views. As to aesthetics, I like it as a trim or as a stole on my wife, but for me an entire coat of fur is too much of a good thing. Although, some women pull it off beautifully.

If you like the look and/or feel then wear it. If your not sure, give it a try. Humans have been wearing it for thousands of years and I hope we will still be wearing it in another thousand years.

 

[sheeplady]

I still haven't worn my fur collar I bought in 2012, but it's been a long road since then. I'm getting gutsy enough I might wear it. Pinned to I have no idea what.

I was given a heavy wool coat with a fur collar. I'm not sure if I'll wear it or not. I like the color of the coat, so I kept it for now.

All my other given fur has been donated and is someone else's dilemmia.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The moths finally got hold of the fur coat I gave to the cat, so now it's out in the garage until I figure out what to do with it. Maybe it'll scare away the raccoons.

 

[Fanny]

As a former vegan (and later vegetarian) this is a very troubling topic for me. Troubling as in I don't really know how I feel about it; I'm conflicted. I would never wear modern fur, plain and simple, however, I think I might be okay with vintage, simply because I do not want the fur to go to waste. The animal already died, and you can't really create demand for more vintage items to be produce since you can't create vintage items. At the same time, it just feels kind of wrong to me. If I ever do wear vintage fur, I don't think it would be a full coat. Perhaps just trim or a stole, but most likely never a full coat.

 

[MissNathalieVintage]

As a vegan I wear vintage fur and it sells very cheaply here in Chicago. Since there is so much vintage fur floating around the thrift stores are finding it hard to sell it.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I enjoy vintage and modern fur. I understand why some don’t and I try to be sensitive to their feelings, but I don’t let it affect my choices. Vintage furs can be great bargains and a I wear fur felt in the form of hats every day.

 

[Apple Blossom]

I wear faux, although I'm not opposed to the concept of a nice, vintage fur. I think if it were a coat or muffs, or something like that where you wouldn't have the feel of plastic feet or any eyes staring up at you, and it were in good condition (as in, you could clean it if you had to without it falling apart) then I'm sure I wouldn't mind it.

I have a stole, capelet and a matching hat and muff but they just aren't used that much. Faux's easier for me to come by and I wear fur so rarely that it would be a waste of money to buy more.

I understand why it's an issue, and I won't delve into that beyond saying that I'd never buy a new fur, but when it would be a waste of a perfectly good 50-100 year old garment? I don't see the harm in giving it a good home. It's just not for me.

 

[HadleyH1]

Not for moi.

Old or new.

 

[St. Louis]

I made a 1930s coat with a huge fake fur collar; I just really liked the style. These days you can find beautiful fake fur. I like to use the type that is just fake enough not to fool anyone that I'm actually wearing real fur, but still attractive. I agree with others here that it's not for me, but I don't judge anyone who feels differently.