The Vintage Fur Thread

[SGT Rocket]

Great movie. I love Werner Herzog.



I believe that animals are just as important as humans but for different reasons.

I respect your views, but alas, we must agree to disagree.

I will say a caveat to my above posting. If my favorite dog was drowning and so was a known "Hitler," serial killer, etc... I would save my dog.

Rest assured, if you were drowning and so was my dog, and I didn't know you, I would still save you.

 

[melanie]

Great movie. I love Werner Herzog.



I don't agree at all. I believe that animals are just as important as humans but for different reasons. They comprise an ecosystem that sustains us as life on this planet, and I don't really believe that because I am human my life is as important as another's.

As for dog vs. human, again I don't agree. If there were 2 humans drowning, a stranger and your best friend, you would save your best friend wouldn't you? If my cat (my best friend) or a stranger were drowning, you could bet your *ss I'd save my cat first.

totally agree with you Kitty

 

[Rosie_Beau]

I admit I don't know much about the fur industry but I do believe that among certain circles (who I do not judge) it will never go out of fashion. I think that they should make fur farming legal in this country so that it can be monitored and have strict regulations of welfare for the animals. That way they won't have to use "back street" fur producers where they are skinned alive etc. I watched "kill it, skin it, wear it" oh a year ago or so and it changed many of my opinions.
It's such a sticky subject which can be discussed but only if everyone involved is willing to listen to the opinions of others.
Also Nigella - I LOVE her. As a 14 year old my Christmas wish list was Nigella books. I was never your average child.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

Hm...difficult one and I don't think it can be avoided in vintage collecting circles.
I like vintage fur, I have bought pieces. I wouldn't support the modern fur trade.

I think that's the easiest way,not buying something that died 80 yrs ago isn't going to bring it back.[huh]

However, we are too squeamish as a generation..people are happy to eat meat, but couldn't or wouldn't kill it to be self sufficient..if people knew what happened in slaughterhouses, well it would make some of the fur practices pale into insignificance. But then, cows aren't cute like Beavers.

 

[Rosie_Beau]

Kitty_S I think we have the same view. My friend Becca says the same thing about vintage fur. She just wouldn't buy new fur. Plus I only eat fiish because I think I could probably kill a fish. Cows are such special, kind looking animals I definately couldn't kill one.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm merging it into the main fur thread for easier reference.

As for me, I don't have any fur, but I don't have any particular objection to it other than the moths it attracts, and as long as it's not harvested in a wilfully cruel or wasteful manner. If I were dictator, willful cruelty to animals would carry the death penalty.

 

[KittyT]

SO strange - searching by thread title in the Powder Room for "fur" turned up no search results. FAIL :eusa_doh:

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yeah, it didn't work for me either -- I had to manually scan thru the pages to find it. (The subject comes up about once a year, so I didn't have to go back too far...)

 

[Lauren]

I love Nigella. I use her baking book a lot.
I've already said my opinion on fur before, so I'll leave that alone

 

[Lady Day]

SO strange - searching by thread title in the Powder Room for "fur" turned up no search results. FAIL :eusa_doh:

Your search (advanced search) has to have a word of 4 characters or more to work.

LD

 

[bunnyb.gal]

KittyT, I would definitely be saving my dog first, too! My 3 pups ARE my best friends, and I consider it a privilege that they have put their trust in me, given me their unconditional love, and made me their human! Sorry all you waterlogged strangers out there!

 

[missjo]

Fur, I will gladly wear vintage fur, would gladly fight someone wearing modern fur.

 

[Odile]

I especially like persian (or curly) lamb trims on anything! Coats, muffs, hats, boots it all looks good! I don't know the method of how this was made, does anyone else?

I know this has already mostly been answered, but I was wearing my Schiaparelli persian lamb coat to class this winter ( I am a fashion design student) and my professor decided to inform me that the fur is taken from fetuses because as soon as a lamb reaches 3 days old its fur changes texture...Ewww

I would also never buy fur new but I love my vintage fur. I guess I justify it by telling myself that the problem with buying new fur is that it contributes to the demand and encourages killing more animals--whereas there is no way to make more vintage fur...

 

[Jools]

I stumbled across this page. I have several vintage fur coats, and about a dozen or so collars, a mink muff, and an adorable white mink/black velvet headband . (mink pom poms.) I would never wear an exotic fur,like lynx or leopard. They raise minks in cages, like chickens. And, like chickens, all parts of the mink are used...mink oil is actually a component of some automobile fluids. (transmission fluid?) The bodies are used in biology classes, at least in this state, for dissection. (better, IMHO than using cats.) If you eat meat, wear leather, wear silk, then it really is no different.

For the ladies who are confused about Persian lamb, it is in fact fur. Karakul is the less curly version, taken from young lambs, and is much more expensive.

In Seattle, a fur protestor accosted me at the opera. I pointed out that he was wearing a down jacket- did he think that someone, somewhere was knitting sweaters for those geese? They are deader than doorknobs. His parting shot, no doubt aimed to hurt my vanity :
"Lady, that fur makes you look fat!"
Me:" Kid, I am fat!"

Fur was an integral part of vintage fashion. Avoiding wearing fur that is 60 years old isn't going to bring it back to life. Around this neck of the woods, nutria were banned from hunting/trapping. Now, the wild nutria (a weasel) pose a real hazard to the local flora and fauna. (few natural predators to keep them in check.) Same with beavers.

Side note: when my sister lived in Anchorage, Alaska, I "field-tested" my expedition weight climbing down parka against my mink coat. Hands down,the mink was orders of magnitude warmer.

 

[Nomanolo]

I think fur is gorgeous. And I own several pieces with fur in/on it. All vintage, though I never use that as an argument. I understand people judging me for wearing fur. I believe every individual is entitled to his/her opinion, as long as they don't bother anyone with it.

Telling someone on the middle of the street that fur is 'bad' is bothering someone. If you choose nót to wear fur... good for you.... I'm sure you have all the good reasons not to. But please let me wear my fur, because I also have my reasons. I think it is beautiful, it completes my vintage lifestyle ánd I think it is a waste to not wear vintage fur.

I believe that there should be less/no more fur production though, because there still is a lot of gorgeous (undiscovered) vintage fur lying around that should be used to answer societys 'need' for fur. Fashion and the people interested in it will always be wanting fur. That will never really change. So instead of trying to convince people not to wear fur by harrassing them on the middle of the street, maybe the activist should put their energy into finding a way to answer the fur-need with the stuff already lying around on this earth, without living animals being harmed (of course I don't mean just activists )

 

[BinkieBaumont]

I was in a cue in a shop wearing my fur coat when a Lady behind asked what kind of creature it was, I explained that when it was running around on four legs in Canada it was a raccoon, she replied "'Oh thats ok then , as Raccoons are pests!, I really don't see the difference between Fur & Leather'

 

[LittleMissPussyCat]

As a small child my Grandfather owned an antiques shop and I always loved all the furs, especially the fox fur stoles with mouths that opened, I used to enjoy "feeding them" pieces of paper.
Now as an adult I would not dream of buying or wearing new fur, but do have seberal vintage pieces that I wear happily, as previously said, these are over 60 years old, and so would go to waste otherwise.

 

[BettyMaraschino]

As with most the ladies, I don't mind vintage fur but wouldn't buy new furs.

Apparently, people who don't like fur and who have told me this don't appreciate being told my fur is older than their gran.

 

[rue]

In Seattle, a fur protestor accosted me at the opera. I pointed out that he was wearing a down jacket- did he think that someone, somewhere was knitting sweaters for those geese? They are deader than doorknobs. His parting shot, no doubt aimed to hurt my vanity :
"Lady, that fur makes you look fat!"
Me:" Kid, I am fat!"

This made me laugh out loud! Great response

As for me....
I have two furs from the 1980s that need to be reconstructed (out of style with huge shoulder pads) so I don't wear them, but I think they'll be turned into some sort of throw. I also have two mink coats from my mom that she wore in the 1970s. Are they considered vintage? [huh] I can't bring myself to wear them here anyway though, because in this tiny town full of parka wearers I would look really silly. Although I do wear a long black wool coat with a fox collar that is only about 10 years old when I'm dressed up.

How do I feel about it? Well, I'm conflicted, because I love animals, but I still eat meat and I wear leather, so what's the difference?

On a funny note (hope this isn't too racy) When my mother wears her fur, she loves to ask if anyone wants to pet her beaver. It's a beaver coat. She's a character lol

 

[annet]

I'm not rich enough to buy vegetables all the time.

fftopic:

i went through this thread and this made me look twice. i don't know where you live but here vegetables are ten times cheaper than any meat- in fact vegetarian food is promoted as an economical way to have healthy food. it always makes me sad when people are not able to get their daily vegetable servings.

on topic:

i'd never wear fur. there wouldn't be any reason for me to. i do wear leather shoes but that's a choice i made: vintage shoes never come in my size and man-made materials just don't provide the comfort and quality my bad feet and back need. i do tend to avoid leather in all other ways. i'd never wear a leather coat, and all my belts and purses are vintage or rescued from someone who wanted to toss them out. i stopped eating meat twelve years ago and in my own kitchen, i only use the eggs we get from my father and grandmother (they have chickens running around in the garden)

i understand someone in a very cold climate, or isolated from the world. they need fur and meat. but i have other options that don't involve the death of animals, so i've made my choice.