Vintage fur coat?

pinkrose398

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My mom bought a white real fur coat in the early 90s. She’s since gone vegetarian and is against animal cruelty so she wants to pass the coat to me. It’s absolutely beautiful and lush, but you can tell it’s real fur and I’d be worried about people calling me out for wearing real fur. I live in a big city with lots of stylish people, but I don’t see people walking around in real fur.

Does anyone have a fur coat they still wear around? What are your thoughts if you see someone on the street wearing a real fur coat.
 
I have two (both from my mom). She has others which she will probably want to give me at some point Including one that is a gorgeous light grey (sounds like yours) I got the two I have restyled maybe ten years ago, and have maybe worn them twice. At the time, the furrier suggested that I use them as a lining in a very lush raincoat, (Prada did that many years ago in an old raincoat I still have) I think the idea has a lot d merit. It could even be reversible. another idea, if you choose not to wear it, is to have the furrier fashion large pillows or throws or (not sure this would work) upholster a small chair, almost in the style of a boudoir or dressing room chair. The problem is all of this involves spending extra money which might be good if you end up liking the result and bad if it still sits in the closet.
Edit: I forgot, my grandmother gave me a good quality white mink that I did not know what t do with, so I had the dumb idea of buying a men’s clipper/shaver thingie and shearing it myself. I did it over the hardwood floor and when DH returned from a business trip, he grumbled ALOT bc the shorn fur left sharp almost needle like tiny hairs embedded in the floor (he likes to walk around the house barefoot). Needless t say, it was a disaster. I tried to remedy it by having the furrier fashion black leather pockets, a waist tie and trim. This was an object lesson that some things just should not be made Real. That coat ended up at Good Will a few weeks later and the Clipper shaver ended up in the trash.
when I was gathering up stuff to give away For a closet purge, I asked DH if I should include the two normal furs in the pile. I was surprised when he said hang onto them for a bit, bc he normally purges unused items faster than I do. Not sure what he was thinking.
I hope you keep us posted with your ruminations and decisions as I would venture a bet that many of us Have older furs and are interested in this. :biggrin: Note: I live in NYC and I do see fur around, but it’s mainly black or brown. Worn by older people as a full length coat or restyled as shorter car length stroller coats with jeans. But not as much in recent years. I do see a lot of fur trim on moncler or max Mara And fur and calf hair used in home furnishings.
 
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@papertiger posted a link to a fur designer retailer in another thread (I included the link below) Some of the styles were very cute. There was one that looked like a puffy coat and I think Mendel did that horizontal strip thing for awhile.


There is also something to be said for just wearing it if it’s your style and if people ask, simply stating it’s from your mom.
 
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My mom bought a white real fur coat in the early 90s. She’s since gone vegetarian and is against animal cruelty so she wants to pass the coat to me. It’s absolutely beautiful and lush, but you can tell it’s real fur and I’d be worried about people calling me out for wearing real fur. I live in a big city with lots of stylish people, but I don’t see people walking around in real fur.

Does anyone have a fur coat they still wear around? What are your thoughts if you see someone on the street wearing a real fur coat.

We've just had a long Summer, and most people haven't been going out much either.

When the weather tuns you'll probably see a lot of people in puffer jackets, nylon (thermoplastic) shells filled with either manmade wadding that is literally smothering our planet eventually, or the more expensive feathers that are often just as cruelly 'harvested' from birds. There's also a lot of faux fur around (some at extortionate prices) that is made of nylon (which is a plastic).

The hate of fur is mostly a political one and not about animal rights. I love most animals more than I love most humans. I not only support many wildlife charities with hard cash but work for them too. I am very familiar with all the arguments on both sides and one of the best things you can do for the planet is wear old or existing clothes of all kinds (high street or designer or vintage) and that includes old furs.

Just a couple of years ago I'd go to work and every other person was wearing a big real fur pom pom on their wool beanie. No idea where all those hats have gone but I guess most of those hats are land fill now as these hats were just a fad. None of those people minded real fur. Nor the stuff around their parkers' hoods which was another fashion now gone. Because these were not seen as luxury items no one bothered these wearers.

Much better for sustainability and honour the lives of animals that went to make that jacket by using it for the length of its usefulness. A hand-me-down coat that is 30 years old is much better for our Earth than a new nylon one.

I have a few furs. I just wear them. As faux fur is everywhere (even though it nylon is plastic and literally chokes the planet) Those that can tell they're real usually have their own those that don't don't. If it's dyed fur it's even harder.

If anyone says anything just tell them you don't know an/or as @880 said, it's your mother's.
 
There are fur threads here? Thank you, off to look! does anyone remember the gorgeous old short, full, vintage Persian lamb trimmed with collars of mink or other fur? I got one from good Will when I was in high school and me and my classmates loved to shop at places like that (I was boarding school and the only choices were a Kmart (Where we bought contraband cigarettes and work boots) and Good Will). I still wish I had something like that.
 
My mom bought a white real fur coat in the early 90s. She’s since gone vegetarian and is against animal cruelty so she wants to pass the coat to me. It’s absolutely beautiful and lush, but you can tell it’s real fur and I’d be worried about people calling me out for wearing real fur. I live in a big city with lots of stylish people, but I don’t see people walking around in real fur.

Does anyone have a fur coat they still wear around? What are your thoughts if you see someone on the street wearing a real fur coat.

Yes. And if fact I think there has never been a better time, of recent, to wear real fur. With fake fur being so trendy and ubiquitous, most people don’t know or don’t notice what is real and what is not...

Inciedentaly, I think wearing hand down or vintage fur coats is more sustainable than buying fake fur, which I understand is generally very polluting to produce or dispose of.
 
The only full length fur coats that I tend to see in winter are mink on ladies over the age of 80. My grandmother who is in her nineties wears her mink coat and hat all winter long and hasn’t experienced any issues.

Shorter coats are usually chinchilla or sable on younger women and come in trendier styles and I don’t tend to see them all that often.

I haven’t had any comments on my coats in Canada but I only have fur hoods (Finnish Raccoon and Fox).

My only real thought of when I see someone with a fur coat is genuine surprise since most people wear nylon down-filled puffers/parkas on the streets of East Coast Canada.
 
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There are fur threads here? Thank you, off to look! does anyone remember the gorgeous old short, full, vintage Persian lamb trimmed with collars of mink or other fur? I got one from good Will when I was in high school and me and my classmates loved to shop at places like that (I was boarding school and the only choices were a Kmart (Where we bought contraband cigarettes and work boots) and Good Will). I still wish I had something like that.

Off-Topic. Yes there are, threads devoted to specific furs like the mink thread, fox thread, chinchilla, sable and others.

I've had a few 'Persian' lambs.

Lamb was very popular in the 1930s mostly for capes, and then again in late 1940s (along with the shoulder pads). Vegetarians should know that this is not the most ethical fur even if you eat meat and may want to research further.

The ones with the mink trim tend to be later, late 1950s/early '60s, mostly trimmed with mink collar and/or cuffs. There seemed to be plenty second hand ones in the '90s. Little astrakhan or broadtail jackets or boxy coats with half-belts. There were some beauties. All the ones I picked-up when I was a teenager were sold when I moved. Lamb can get quite delicate and it's one of the furs that drys out quickest.

For sure, buying real vintage fur will be cost-effective this year, just hunt in the usual places. Make sure the lamb has plenty of sheen and is soft with no cracks.
 
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The only full length fur coats that I tend to see in winter are mink on ladies over the age of 80. My grandmother who is in her nineties wears her mink coat and hat all winter long and hasn’t experienced any issues.

Shorter coats are usually chinchilla or sable on younger women and come in trendier styles and I don’t tend to see them all that often.

I haven’t had any comments on my coats in Canada but I only have fur hoods (Finnish Raccoon and Fox).

My only real thought of when I see someone with a fur coat is genuine surprise since most people wear nylon down-filled puffers/parkas on the streets of East Coast Canada.


In Scandinavia too - apart form the major cities. But then furs there are still very expensive.
 
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About ten years ago protestors were outside of a Canada Goose retailer in my town and they were throwing paint on customers exiting the store, which lasted until police got control of the situation.:shocked:
Yeah and I'm just imagining that scene from sex and the city where Samantha got paint on her fur coat. People won't be able to tell that it's vintage and I would prefer not to be attacked in the streets.
 
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I have a mink jacket that I love. No one has ever asked me if it's real but I would probably say No if they did, just because I don't want to deal with any judgment. I see nothing wrong with wearing fur, especially vintage. It's a positive step for the environment.
So my take is wear your fur proudly! If you are at all uncomfortable about it, say it is faux fur. Honestly, I have seen plenty of faux furs that look just like the real thing.
 
one of the best things you can do for the planet is wear old or existing clothes of all kinds (high street or designer or vintage) and that includes old furs
this^ makes me so happy to shop vintage :smile: with the trend towards vintage sustainable clothing, I think we will see more people wearing fur eventually. I think the reason why I haven’t seen as much in NYC is because the winters have been warmer. But, in certain zip codes, you do see more of it, esp. the design houses like fendi (if one is older) to Mendel or Dennis basso. Brunello cuchinelli has some current pieces that give the illusion of fur re their texture and volume. I don’t recall an incident of paint throwing in NYC for quite some time (though it hasn’t been on my radar to look so I could be mistaken). While fur is not as light as Moncler, it is warmer. OT, but I’ve been taking vintage dead stock items to my tailor during covid (as I want to help local business). Tailors and pattern cutters and furriers are genuinely happy to work on older pieces due to the beauty of the pattern and material and that includes fur. Would love to see pics of you in your moms fur!