Persuade me about my vintage heirloom fur jacket…

[Nibb]

Gorgeous!
IMO I don’t see how rehoming or even tossing a vintage fur does any good. Wear the coat in good health, thank the creature for keeping you toasty warm and if anyone asks you can always say it’s faux.

 

[whatnow]

Hello all,

I’m looking for some advice on whether I should keep my vintage Lynx fur jacket.

I had never considered wearing a fur coat but I inherited one from my lovely mother-in-law after she passed. Initially I tried selling it, but I realized that the resale market on furs is lacking, meaning there is little interest (at least in my research and experience) and you cannot remotely get the value of fur back. In this case, it’s a $6000 jacket, and I had trouble getting interest below even $1K.

So I decided to start wearing it. And I enjoyed it because it reminded me of my mother-in-law, a connection to her. Admittedly, it is also a beautiful jacket and fits me like a glove.

I know fur is controversal. I am an animal lover so that also complicates my feelings on this jacket. I enjoy it very much for the reasons mentioned, but in the back of my mind is the thought of the animals.

My argument in favour of the jacket: it’s vintage, it’s not directly supporting the new fur industry, it’s a memento and heirloom, it’s already DONE. In my mind, it’s a crime to not have at least someone make use of it rather than the animals dying in vain (in this case, they would have been caught in the wild, not farmed). One can argue that it’s not entirely different from eating meat, and wearing silk and leather products. Heck, every third person in Canada right now is wearing real fur trim on their hats and hoods (including me) and nobody raises an eyebrow.

But once it’s a full fur coat/jacket, it does raise eyebrows. I think because it’s so blatant a display of making use of animal products. Now, I’m not a vegan and don’t intend on becoming one. But before I bought my own fur-trimmed parka filled with down, I did a lot of research on the brand to ensure that the down was from the food industry, and the fur “humanely” sourced. I’m OK with my parka. It’s just the beautiful lynx jacket I can’t decide on.

It doesn’t help that, while wearing it recently and feeling half good and half bad about it, some friends made some pretty off-colour jokes about the lynx jacket. AKA “is the lynx cold?” That was the first and only time I wore it this season.

So my option is to keep the jacket and enjoy it as a vintage family heirloom that I love in many ways, or sell it to someone else for a low amount. Coincidentally, I do have something I want to buy that the jacket could help fund, as well, if I were able to get close to $1K.

Thoughts?

Hi. I am a dedicated animal lover and my thoughts are that you definitely should wear it for all the reasons you mentioned. I have a vintage muskrat Eskimo parka with a Wolverine fur trimmed hood I have worn in the coldest Michigan weather for the last fifteen years and have never had a problem, however, I am in a rural area where hunting is accepted.

 

[onlyk]

View attachment 6133440

It is beautiful but, $1,000 price tag may be a bit high in current market, I meant, in comparison, $1,000 a beautiful fur coat v.s $1,000 designer jacket, I would choose $1,000 designer jacket ( such as say Chanel / Dior jacket, clothing, Burberry classic trench coats, down coats etc), because $1,000 designer jacket is very wearable and resalble, a natural fur coat especially those specific animal patterned coat is not wearable in some areas and may not sell fast when you want money quickly.

P.S. I don’t against owning / buying older fur coat, I had bought and sold fur coats, still owns one black fur long coat.

 

[Love Of My Life]

Thank you everyone for weighing in, I really appreciate all the food for thought posted here.

It seems the overall consensus is to keep it. I think perhaps I shouldn’t overthink it and just enjoy the beauty and family connection of wearing it. Every time I see my MIL’s name monogrammed inside, it makes me smile. That should be what matters. And yes, it is beautiful. Thank you!

Making that comment about your MIL would make me keep it.... wear it

 

[lotuspaste]

I'm glad you're keeping it.

Fake "vegan" fur is horrible for the environment and for your body (microplastics can also break off into the air and be inhaled).

It's actually more ethical to keep using the garment and get the most use of it - for me it feels like the materials and creation process didn't go to waste and will be cherished.

 

[BigPurseSue]

I say keep it. Wear it in good health. The fact that it reminds you of your MIL and you smile every time you see her initials, that makes it priceless.

Friends who make tasteless comments are cads.

There was an article in the NY Times over the weekend about how vintage furs have grown very popular in NY. There were quotes from animal rights activists saying this is not a good thing, people will want to buy real furs.

I disagree, as an animal activist. I've gone through my own journey questioning the appropriateness of wearing vintage furs. Call me a sentimental schmuck but I think it's a tribute to the animals who have given their lives to keeping us warm. I have an Eskimo coat with a fitted fur hood that's my constant companion during arctic freezes like the one we're going through. Don't laugh but I thank that fox every day for keeping my head from turning into a Popsicle, as it may well do with my other so-called "arctic gear."

The jacket is gorgeous and looks great on you. Don't part with it. Love it, wear it.

 

[Farkvam]

I'm glad you're keeping it.

Fake "vegan" fur is horrible for the environment and for your body (microplastics can also break off into the air and be inhaled).

It's actually more ethical to keep using the garment and get the most use of it - for me it feels like the materials and creation process didn't go to waste and will be cherished.

I have heard that about vegan fur, very good point!

I have to admit, it seems like there’s the possibility of something being “wrong” with most industries when you start to dig deeper, so I think we have to just do our best and not worry about the rest.

Thank you all for your insightful comments. I decided to wear the fur out last night and simply enjoy it. And I did

 

[Love Of My Life]

I have heard that about vegan fur, very good point!

I have to admit, it seems like there’s the possibility of something being “wrong” with most industries when you start to dig deeper, so I think we have to just do our best and not worry about the rest.

Thank you all for your insightful comments. I decided to wear the fur out last night and simply enjoy it. And I did

Glad to hear that.. Wear it & enjoy it & at the end of the day really who cares what people say!

 

[foxgal]

I’m glad you’re wearing it and enjoying it! It is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful memory for you.

Just wanted to add - I think how fur is perceived is very location-specific. As someone mentioned, there seems to be a resurgence in fur’s popularity among the fashion set in NYC. But in other cities you still risk sneers. So as much as we want to say “Wear what you love and who cares what others think?”, no one wants to invite negative energy. Wear it a few more times and you’ll be able to feel in your gut if you’re really enjoying it or if you’re always on guard.

I dealt with the same dilemma recently with my mom’s mink. However the debate was easier for me to solve because the coat was just a wee bit too small and the style very obviously vintage, which is not how I dress. Even though I only got a pittance selling it, I feel good that someone else is appreciating it and it’s not in a landfill or gathering dust in a closet.

 

[Berengeria]

I'm going to be a lone voice to say sell. You have other things to remember your mother in law by, including your memories, your husband, and most likely photographs.

No matter how many people here cheer you on, you WILL still have to deal with comments when you wear the coat. If you truly are impervious to all comments (both from friends and strangers), then fine. But I think most people, being social creatures, do care at least a little about whether other people are casting disapproving comments and looks our way. If you can make yourself comfortable with judgmental stares and comments by telling yourself that it is their problem not yours, then this is one factor you don't have to consider in your decision to keep or not keep.

If you sell it, you won't get as much money as was spent for it, but it's "worth" is only what you can get for it. If you have something in mind that you could use the money for, why not try to sell the coat for the $1K, and get the thing you really want? The thing you want is probably not something you have to worry about being controversial every time you walk out your door with it.

 

[Farkvam]

I'm going to be a lone voice to say sell. You have other things to remember your mother in law by, including your memories, your husband, and most likely photographs.

No matter how many people here cheer you on, you WILL still have to deal with comments when you wear the coat. If you truly are impervious to all comments (both from friends and strangers), then fine. But I think most people, being social creatures, do care at least a little about whether other people are casting disapproving comments and looks our way. If you can make yourself comfortable with judgmental stares and comments by telling yourself that it is their problem not yours, then this is one factor you don't have to consider in your decision to keep or not keep.

If you sell it, you won't get as much money as was spent for it, but it's "worth" is only what you can get for it. If you have something in mind that you could use the money for, why not try to sell the coat for the $1K, and get the thing you really want? The thing you want is probably not something you have to worry about being controversial every time you walk out your door with it.

I understand what you’re saying, Berengeria, thanks for weighing in.

I’ve decided to keep it for now, but it may be something that I continue to think about, we’ll see. I’ve been wearing and enjoying it lately after posting this thread.

 

[A bottle of Red]

I understand what you’re saying, Berengeria, thanks for weighing in.

I’ve decided to keep it for now, but it may be something that I continue to think about, we’ll see. I’ve been wearing and enjoying it lately after posting this thread.

The great thing is you can always decide to sell or donate it later on

 

[mellecyn]

Please keep it!
And yes I guess it depends on which part of the world you live in. But in Scandinavia the vintage furs are having a moment. And after being sooo cold and fake not cutting it, I want fur. While most are inherited from our grandmas, I asked my girlfriends, yes we buy them vintage at only 200€.
When I see the amount of synthetic materials needed to keep us warm and all that recycled polyester instead of real down...and charging us 1k for it?! I don´t feel bad for wearing and reusing what´s already out there and was produced decades ago

 

[snibor]

FYI there has been a lot of attention lately with vintage furs including fashion articles in The NY Times and Wall Street journal. (Not that it really matters). IMO this is not worth agonizing over. It’s beautiful, you love it, and it has sentimental meaning. Why wouldn’t you keep it? Enjoy your beautiful coat.