How long before fur coats fall to pieces?

[Apple Annie]

This may seem an incredibly random question, and I'm afraid it is - it's a very important plot device for something I'm currently writing. I've googled and drawn a blank, but I figured many people on here are interested in pre-golden era stuff, so you might know.

If a fur coat is locked in a cedar chest (I believe the smell of cedar is a moth-repellent?) and not touched since it is placed in there (although it would have been worn before), how long before it falls apart? And what parts of it would be likely to degrade first? And would someone be able to wear it, not for best wear or anything, but on a "midnight excursion"?

The conditions would be fairly constant, and cool, the chest being stored in an underground passage.

Really, I need it to last at least 100 years, possibly 150. If it would have hopelessly degraded by then, can anyone suggest a viable alternative that would have been worn by a gentleman or lady of that era?

Thank you for your indulgence of my random questioning

 

[Lauren]

In my experience it's the thread that holds the pelts together that starts falling apart first. Depending on the way it's stored, the pelts will also dry out. When the hide is no longer pliable it gets kind of "crispy" and will break when bent. If you're using it for a plot make sure the pelts are the kind that get sewn together if you want to use that angle- some I think are not as likely to be sewn, though I am uncertain about how they are made. If it was worn a lot, there's also wear to the edges of the garment (collars, cuffs, hems, etc). And if it's dried you might start seeing balding spots where the hair starts to come from the pelts..
Usually it doesn't come apart until handled unless it's been expelled to pests or weather (sun, moisture, mold, etc) I doubt it would fall apart on it's own when stored in good climate and unexposed, unless it had been there hundreds of years.
Hope that helps! Wish I knew more particulars

 

[Idledame]

Also, some furs are just sturdier (they have thicker skins) than others. I have a rabbit coat from the 80's that has tissue paper skins, and sheds like crazy. In the 70's I spent half my paycheck on a gorgeous 1940s silver fox coat, but the skins were dry. The first time I wore it my best friend saw a guy she was madly in love with and grabbed my sleeve and it completely detached from the rest of the coat! I have avoided fox ever since! With dried out skins, sometimes the thread is the strongest part! I have mink pieces, mouton and some mystery furs that are still very strong and are over 50 years old. I have wearable clothing that is now 100 years old and maybe more, so threads can stay strong, especially under ideal conditions like uniformly cool, dark and insect free. I would think it would be totally possible for the coat in question to be wearable after 100 years or more. (Especially if the wearer does NOT have a friend yanking on the sleeve! For more info, look in your phonebook for a Furrier or ask at a good dry cleaner for the number of their furrier. (That would be who they send all their leather, suede and fur items for cleaning--it's a specialized process). A furrier could give you lots of info-which are sturdiest etc.

 

[Molly O'Star]

Threads and linings are definitely a consideration, as is the type of coat. My mother works for the Adirondack History Museum and they have clothing from turn of the century and earlier ... the fur is intact. The pieces that have held up the best seem to be bear furs (which were made from a single hide and so didn't require many additions to make a coat), as well as some otter and beaver furs. As to the science behind it, I'm no help there.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Call a furier. They're the ones that would know definitively.

In simple terms, it's going to depend on the type of fur, age of the coat, the quality of the coat as originally purchased, how often it was worn and with what type of wear and tear, how was it cared for in general, storage temperature and humidity, etc. Something worn once or twice and carefully dried out before stored at a low temperature is going to last far longer than one worn daily for years, given a lot of hard usage, and thrown into the trunk wet and left for years in a warm, more humid climate. A well made mink is going to have a longer life than a cheaply made rabbit fur.

I'm sure what a fur is stored with may also have an effect on its storage life. There may be vapors given off by other clothing items that are more apt to damage the fur, others may have no effect. Example - some plastics or other products give off fumes that may have chemical reactions with other items.

Red cedar was usually a better storage product because it was almost always used for better made, higher quality furniture pieces. It was a more expensive timber and used by craftsman. It has a pleasant aroma, is longer-lasting wood and less prone to sap like other cheaper, more readily available lumber. It wasn't that it was so much more insect-repellent, but that it was of higher quality construction and joinery.

In L.A. lots of women would wear a fur a few times a season. Between wearings, they were stored in a special freezer at their furrier or at Bullock's, Robinson's, May Co. and other top-notch department stores. They charged an annual or quarterly fee, and any time you wanted your coat, you went in to pick it up and then returned it after whatever event. They'd do cleaning, repairs, conditioning and so forth as needed. Aunt Margie would trek to Bullock's Wilshire a few times a year to return or haul the mink coat out of the cooler for an evening out at the symphony, opera, a play or other event.

I guess you could liken it to a recent post on wedding gown storage - how well they lasted depended on if they were cleaned well, if they specially prepared for storage, or were they just folded and put away in a box in the attic.

 

[Apple Annie]

Thank you, you've been really helpful

I'll follow the advice getting hold of the number of a furrier - I think you've all told me everything I need to know, but you never know what details experts can add.

 

[Inky]

I had a 3 brown fox pieces, the kind with the face, feet and tail attached that you clipped together to wear (sorry, I don't know what those are actually called) and they were in terrible condition when I received them from the owner's son. I don't know how they'd been stored but they were very dry and shedding and I finally had to get rid of them.

On the other hand, I have a black fox piece of the same type with face, feet and tail, and it is in excellent condition, doesn't shed at all and I have owned it myself since high school (30 years now) without any special care aside from being in a closet with a cotton sheet over it.

This is probably of no help, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

 

[Vintage Betty]

An additional item to add is the type of thread used. If someone used waxed thread vs the standard cotton thread, the pelts would hold up the piecing a longer time.

But, waxed threads are usually denoted for lower-end items (mitts, leather clothing exposed to the elements), so that might be important for your storyline.

When I sew leather, I love to use wax thread, but it does look amateur in comparison to using something finer, like silk thread.

 

[jtcarrey]

Just never wear fur in the rain hahaha I had no idea about fur when I bought my coat, got stuck in the rain for almost 2 hours, the poor fur collar started falling apart.. Learned a very valuable (and obvious) lesson that night...

 

[Sunny]

Also consider what styles and furs were actually available and fashionable in the original time period, and if it would be a coat at all. For example, if it's from the 1860s (a period I know about), a coat is pretty unlikely. Women wore fur, but mostly as trim on various loose coats and cloaks; the biggest item to be made out of fur would be a sort of mantle. Men's fur coats would be even less likely. But that's in the fashionable world. On the plains, in the mountains, and to the far north, men's coats could be made out of buffalo or other fur-bearing animals. In that case, it's a matter of what's available and what's practical, not what's fashionable. But a buffalo coat might (might - I'm not an expert) be a very unlikely thing to be laid away carefully, even if it the original owner would've/could've had it.

Of course, you could come up with many reasons for why a certain type of fur would be available and how it ended up in that cedar chest. I just wanted to mention these factors so you have something else to think about.

 

[SuperKawaiiMama]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I have an Arctic Fox fur that is from about 1910 that is still in immaculate condition. So that is pretty old to still be looking great. You can see it here.

I store my furs in clean cotton pillow cases in the top of my wardrobe. Rather than hanging them where the weight of the pelts can put strain on the stitching long term. I also use cedar balls in there and try to regulate the humidity. (That is in summer when the evaporative cooling is on, I use those humidity collectors in the wardrobe.)

 

[Mojito]

Super Kawaii Mama, you bought the Arctic Fox from Circa?? *Fantastic* - it looked so dazzling on you in the photos of the Art Deco opening, and was such a lovely piece - it's always great to see a piece like this go to the right owner!

 

[SuperKawaiiMama]

Super Kawaii Mama, you bought the Arctic Fox from Circa?? *Fantastic* - it looked so dazzling on you in the photos of the Art Deco opening, and was such a lovely piece - it's always great to see a piece like this go to the right owner!

It sure is the one from Circa. My Mr bought it for me as a delightful birthday present this year. After I came from the opening in it, well once he saw it, it was a done deal. *grin* Gotta love that man.

 

[Sweet Leilani]

No one has yet mentioned it, but the factor most likely to determine how well a fur will hold up is the tanning method. If it is properly tanned and then properly stored, it will remain soft and pliable. If it was not properly tanned (i.e. the chemicals were not completely rinsed off or the tanning process itself was substandard) it will become brittle. I inherited a Persian Lamb coat from the 30s that, while the lining and threads are fine, the hair comes off in clumps.