The Vintage Fur Thread

[FraeuleinBerlin]

How. Good. Are. Your. Legs????

 

[Miss Golightly]

How. Good. Are. Your. Legs????

Agreed - smashing pins Paul!

 

[Louise Anne]

How. Good. Are. Your. Legs????

Agreed - smashing pins Paul!

Blush Thank you very much.
I am going to a salon next weekend some of my friends say trousers are more appropriate there, I tempted to wear a long pencil skirt would love to dare to wear the skirt about but for a 50 years old might seam a little too young and out of place!. I torn between the three option at the moment, maybe the weather will decide in the end.

 

[FraeuleinBerlin]

I always wear skirts to the salon! Just remember to keep your knees together all the time - always tends to be a lot of switching chairs and leaning backwards and forwards!

 

[Louise Anne]

it's the small things like that which I find hard to remember lol

 

[Miss sofia]

Good advice. i would go for the pencil sklrt. Paired with some heels, you will still be showing off those shapely calves and ankles!

 

[Katinka von K.]

How. Good. Are. Your. Legs????

Exactly my thought!

 

[Louise Anne]

Good advice. i would go for the pencil sklrt. Paired with some heels, you will still be showing off those shapely calves and ankles!

yes will be someting like that.

 

[LinaSofia]

I recently fell for a 30s fur cape at an antiques fair. it's white but I'm not sure what sort of fur it is. It's very soft and quite long hairs in a bright ivory white. Any ideas what it could be?
I know there is a very fervent debate out there about whether vintage fur is OK or not and to be honest, I'm not a confrontational person and would hate to have to enter into heated debates with strangers... but I really want to wear it to a friend's wedding in a couple of weeks. Any thoughts ladies? How do you deal with wearing vintage fur at events like weddings?

 

[Louise Anne]

Unless it's a very strange wedding then every on is know at least by the bride or groom /familly so no one should make a great thing and show themselves up.
If any one did say any thing just say in a quiet voice "it's vintage" turn your head and leave it at tha,t let them show themselves up with a big debate which I do not think would happen at a private function really.

You really need photos to work out what fur it is.

 

[sheeplady]

LinaSofia- I saw your wedding pictures on your blog, you are so beautiful and cute. It looks like you had a wonderful time!

I wouldn't worry about wearing the fur. How do they know it is real? Some modern furs come really, really close to looking real. The only way they could tell is if they felt it. And if a stranger comes up and starts touching you and then says something, I'd tell them politely that they shouldn't touch strangers.

 

[Miss sofia]

I recently fell for a 30s fur cape at an antiques fair. it's white but I'm not sure what sort of fur it is. It's very soft and quite long hairs in a bright ivory white. Any ideas what it could be?
I know there is a very fervent debate out there about whether vintage fur is OK or not and to be honest, I'm not a confrontational person and would hate to have to enter into heated debates with strangers... but I really want to wear it to a friend's wedding in a couple of weeks. Any thoughts ladies? How do you deal with wearing vintage fur at events like weddings?

Hi Lina,

I would hope as Paul said that people would be too aware of where they were to even comtemplate starting on you about your fur cape. I have worn fur to weddings, events, etc and people have never really been negative, although i do tend to get in there first and try to counteract any negativity that might issue forth from them, if i sense they could be a bit anti!

for example, if they were to comment by saying, "Is that real fur?" ( and look a bit batey) , i usually reply that i don't condone the modern fur trade, but yes it is a vintage fur and said animal used to make said cape, collar, has been dead for x number of years and that i'm giving it an airing as an authentic part of my vintage ensemble. If things get dicey, which i'm sure they won't you could as Sheeplady suggested, say it's faux. Or else remind them that you are respecting the animal that died to make this piece of fur in the first place by cherishing it and wearing it, instead of relegating it to landfill.

As i said i'm sure you will be fine, i have very few people comment negatively. In fact most people who do comment seem to be positive about vintage fur and really just want to have a stroke.

It sounds like it could be a dyed mink or fox or even possibly ermine. (I have seen it without the spots). I have a fur resource, so i will look it up when i have a min, although a pic would be great. There are so many now obscure animals that were used for their pelts it's hard to tell sometimes.

 

[LinaSofia]

thank you very much for your thoughts, Paul, Sheeplady and Miss Sofia! I suspect you're all right and I shouldn't worry about it. It's such a beautiful piece that I really want to wear it.
I took a picture when I was practicing for my wedding look, you can't see the whole thing but you get an idea of the pelt (hope the pic isn't huge!)... as it happens it was WAY too hot to wear it on my wedding day, so hoping I can get away with wearing it over a navy blue dress for my friend's wedding instead.

 

[Miss sofia]

I'll give it a punt and say it looks like mink to me. Being that you said it had longer hairs on the top and shorter underneath. It doesn't look like ermine. That tends to have shorter hairs. I have some ermine, so i checked

I love your spotty veil! Is it attached to a hat. I love anything with a veil attached to it!

I think it will look lovely with a navy blue frock. We must see pics.

I loved your last post on your blog, why oh why can't i live in a prussian palace where my settee fabric matches the wallpaper!

 

[LinaSofia]

Aha, interesting to know! Maybe it's mink then. I originally thought mink was always brown (that's how little I know!).
The veil isn't attached to a hat, it's just a veil.. it says 'veil hat' on the original box it came in! It has bows going down the centre back. I love it, but unfortunately I put it on a bit skew-whiff on the wedding day and didn't realise one of the spots was in the middle of my forehead.. in the pictures it looks like I've applied an indian bindi on my forehead...:first:

 

[Miss sofia]

Hmm, it's a veil and it has polka dots - me love!

Actually we were deliberating about your stole today at work, it's either dyed mink, ermine or could possibly be rabbit. I would say ermine or mink without looking. My ermine is quite short-haired, but we found some pics, where it was very lustrous.

 

[normanf]

I just made a post on another thread on the same subject, I think it's "1930's Animal Slaughter", or something like that.
I just bought my girlfriend a gorgeous vintage (ca 1940) fox cape, half length, for Christmas (it's in the closet at the moment) and I'm getting second thoughts about it. I just found a horrifying web site showing the killing of raccoon dogs in China for fur. I won't go into it, but it's despicable.
I feel like vintage fur is more or less OK, but then once in a while I get a pang of conscience. I think using leather is all right because most (not all!) cattle are slaughtered in a relatively humane way, and every part is used. I have a problem with pigs, because they're so smart. Churchill loved to repeat the old adage that dogs look up to humans, cats look down on humans, but pigs look at humans as equals. Plus their living conditions are pretty grim as well. So I don't eat pork or use pig products.
Beavers are drowned in the standard traps used for them.
It's a tough issue. I think psychologically, when people kill animals regularly, for a living, they inure themselves to it as a self protection. If you let yourself think about the moral implications, you'd start losing sleep. The result is complete callousness, which can sometimes lead to wanton cruelty. A paradox.

I don't think its callousness. We are all aware an animal had to die to keep us alive and as the apex predator on the planet we haven't always handled our natural resources responsibly. We have a right to use them as we see fit but wanton waste and cruelty bother me. I entirely approve of hunting to procure food and clothing but I'm against sport hunting for which there is no other reason than to kill an animal for fun. People look at the negative side of domestication, that wool and meat animals get slaughtered but they also live healthier and longer lives than their wild relatives do because as part of the bargain that led to their losing their natural fear of man, they get food, health care and protection. In human history, that arrangement has worked out pretty well.

 

[Miss Golightly]

LinaSofia - I love that photo of you - you look gorgeous and your make-up is perfection!

I think that having a go off someone for wearing vintage fur is a bit of a soft target - I mean would someone chastise a person for wearing clothing that came from sweatshop (or made by child workers) - I really doubt it - to me sweatshops and child workers are way more of an issue than someone wearing vintage fur. There was an expose on Primark (called Penney's here in Ireland) and it showed clothing being made by children in India - they are being paid practically nothing - 60p a day - disgusting. Not to mention that that kind of clothing is completely disposable and is being packed into landfills that are already bursting at the seams.

Someone here (sorry I can't remember who!) quite wisely said that people who attack others for wearing vintage fur feel they are doing something, without doing anything at all......

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

Clean Fur has a unique Scent, I,m not sure what it is, (Could it be musk?) but if they only could bottle it!

 

[LinaSofia]

Sorry, I forgot to check back on this thread in the midst of moving house etc so I didn't see the replies! thanks Miss S and Miss G!
Miss S - I actually think it might be rabbit. It doesn't quite look or feel like mink to me, so I'm guessing it might be rabbit, but I could be wrong!

I have another question.. as it happens, I still have never worn this cape out! But New Years Eve is the date it'll finally come out with me!

Ladies, do you know what the etiquette is around wearing a cape like this out for the evening (esp. when it's cold!) in regards to your coat?
Do I wear this instead of a coat (which doesn't seem quite warm enough), or do I carry it with me in a bag to slip on once at the party, or do I wear it over my coat (which would probably look weird in this case?). In short, I'm not sure how to play it on New Years Eve!

Lina x