Where Are We With Fur?
At the Harper’s Bazaar reunion on January 19, my friend asked if I know a good fur repair. Circa 2002, we asked Pologeorgis to make us each a mink pullover jacket — see the very first kic post below. “Are we wearing fur again?” I asked. “Yes”, she said, “ours are now vintage, and vintage fur is okay.” Two days later Leandra Medine Cohen clocked a number of New Yorkers in their fur coats, Feed Me’s Emily Sundberg, also, mentioned the return of fur, and just last week The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times followed suit with similar stories. There are certainly a lot of fuzzy coats everywhere, and I love the Toteme shearling I bought a few weeks ago — cream sleeve above. I pulled my furs out of cold storage (the closet in the front guest bedroom that is unheated) and I’m deciding if I will wear them again. Thoughts?
Please be kind and respectful in the comments
Welcome to Keep It Chic! February 10, 2010
I say brava! Such a waste to donate or ignore furs you have inherited or purchased previously – I’m not clear on my feelings re: new fur but if it’s already a garment then wear it and enjoy it! As has been the case in Europe all along….
I think they are so cool. I love my furs and the accessories, too, are totally my thing, the scarves, hats, I cannot get enough. This is why I will never move to a warm climate.
Oh yes!
Like so many anti-trends, the anti-fur trend was a lot of hysteria and was mostly litigated on emotion. The era of hunting animals in the wild to sew up a coat for a rich lady has been a myth for many decades. Furs have been ‘farm raised,’ much like our favorite organic chickens and salmon and grass-fed beef for my lifetime (the better part of a century). A houseguest last week arrived in an adorable chocolate brown curly fur of some sort and shared that it was once a longer coat that felt dated and heavy on her shoulders. So she had it remade into a chic hip-length jacket, worn over travel pants for a flight and for dressy dinner later that evening. Personally, I don’t own a fur coat. But I have a few fur pieces, my favorite being a dark chocolate mink slip-through scarf, which I adore wearing over a black dress on a cold winter night out. It’s a beautiful finishing piece. Temperatures in my neighborhood have been hovering around zero this week. Natural, sustainable, indestructible fur, vintage or new, makes sense for both warmth and style. Chic, for me, has to check the box of being functional, timeless, and effortless. For me, fur checks all those boxes.
P.S. Your little pullover above is adorable and looks right at home in the snowy landscape!
Granted fur is not a necessity in Australia where I live but the thought of wearing fur makes me sad. I wear leather, so I guess I’m the fool here. Is 2002 fur really vintage? PETA has been around since 1980. Again, I acknowledge I’m a hypocritical leather wearer.
Sorry, but it’s a big “No” from me!
It all looks wrong and tasteless in today’s age, another backwards step.
None of the linked articles provide an argument that merits its use and the accompanying images just confirm how vulgar it looks.
I can assure you that for every “one” still wearing in Milan or St Moritz there are thousands who don’t, a rather poor excuse for wearing.
Still love your postings though!
Alison
If a fur is something you already own or is passed down then wear it, unless you aren’t comfortable with doing so. I sold my mom’s fur jacket because I knew I wouldn’t wear it and it was remiss to keep it. My daughter didn’t want it either.
This is a timely post for me as I am in the process of re-styling a strong shoulder, to the floor, 1988 mink coat.. It’s been idling in my closet since I moved to South Florida in 1993. After seeing so much chic fur in London last year, and learning about the unsustainability of faux fur, I decided to make use of what I have for my cold weather travels. I’m thinking of hemming it to just below the knee and slimming the shoulder pads. If any, KIC readers have any suggestions, I would love to hear their experience.
Yes! If it’s a “vintage” piece. Maybe not new. Upcycle furs are cool and somehow feel right.
I certainly appreciate the conversation, but am a hard no. I did not want my mother’s even though they held wafts of her perfume. My children did not want them, and my nieces never wear them, but they are still in the family. The more I know the less meat I eat but do wear leather…
I am wearing my grandmother’s fur coat that I had made into a reversible vest. It is my favorite for these cold months. Why waste something you inherited? Wear it like vintage clothing!!!
I was at a funeral in Washington D.C. a few weeks ago and noticed many woman wearing their vintage furs. It was a freezing cold day and this very practical. But they also looked quite elegant. It was nice to see they had pulled out their coats and were not afraid to wear them.
I can’t get beyond the cruelty of trapping for fur. We can’t go back to the days of a fur free for all. Vintage furs are another thing. Early in my career I wanted yet couldn’t afford a black mink. By the time I could buy one, it was not in the cards for the cruelty of it all.
Hard no for me. I do love the style and the beauty of furs. Current farming practices still have a long way to go, and I would not want to see more animals being farmed especially more intelligent ones who will have a greater awareness of their suffering. I’m torn on wearing vintage but leaning no, because that will increase the demand overall leading people to buy new. Waiting for someone to make a fake fur but with a performance lining!
If you have vintage fur and want to wear it, go right ahead. I would never wear fur…but I am with those who do wear leather, so yes, I am a bit of a hypocrite. I don’t care if new fur garments are made from farm-raised animals…I don’t want to wear a garment made from them. And I don’t agree that a fur from 2002 is vintage, but again, wear what you want…just don’t get upset if others don’t agree with your choices.
Agree with the no’s here. Can’t support cruelty to animals, vintage or farm raised.
yes, yes, yes! wear fur, new or vintage
Definitely a big NO. It’s not about wearing something for warmth, or style or fashion. It’s about being awakened to the cruelty behind a garment. Just like we couldn’t unsee what happened to George Foreman with a white cop kneeling on his neck, you will never unsee the gruesome truth behind what goes into creating fur and down. It’s a horror show.
I personally wouldn’t wear one but I am in Spain and they are EVERYWHERE. Not your grandmother’s fur coats, either. These are chic and hip. I’m sure some are faux but the look is one of the major style points I have noticed since I’ve been here.
I don’t think we need to agree or disagree with anyone’s decision to wear furs so long as it is legal to do so. It really is a matter of personal choice and is one of my favorite things about KiC – ie, fashion and our take on it is a personal choice and does not need to be stigmatized or politicized even in our current times. That said, the coat Preston is wearing in the photo is lovely, a good fit, and has got to be practical for the weather. I am not seeing a lot of interesting modern long fur coat styles and gravitate towards shorter, sporty versions that match the pace of life and allow freedom of movement. Something too fancy or precious tends to not match my lifestyle, but having an elegant fur coat in one’s closet is quite lovely.
PLEASE DON’T! Instead, lead the way of dressing forward, not backward. The re-emergence of wearing another being is part of the tacit acceptance of human cruelty in these times – to one another, other beings, and to the earth.
Also in the no group. Just not needed and so sad.
In the yes camp. Wear it proud.
I actually think there’s a a bit of hypocrisy with being so anti-fur and eating meat that’s not ethically produced. I myself am a vegan but have vintage furs from the 50s, I love them but hesitate to wear them since it’s quite frowned upon were I live (Sweden).
Absolutely in the yes camp. After my mother passed last year, I remodelled her floor-length version and wore it to my dad’s funeral in January—it kept me warm in Montreal, Canada’s -22F cold and even warmer in my heart.
And if people disagree? That’s okay. I live by, “My life, my choice!”
On a moral level, if you own it already and you like it, there is zero reason not to wear it. How are you helping animals by leaving it in your closet? That said, I feel like it’s a bit aging. When I was 35, certain classics like a Chanel jacket or my mom’s fur jacket or a strand of pearls looked chic and slightly ironic; now I feel like those things make me look older and I like a more streamlined look. I do love my shearling, though!
I don’t eat anything I’m tempted to hug, and I don’t wear anything that looks far better on its original owner.
As someone who really suffers in the cold, I can honestly say there’s nothing warmer than fur. But equally, there are so many vintage furs sloshing around, it seems silly to buy new. So, I’m in the minority ‘yes’ camp, with reservations.
A friend just sent me a vintage fur. And while it’s not for me, I did find a lovely home for it with my favorite bartender! I discovered a great faux fur, a “mink”, this year by Apparis. So many people have complimented me on it and no one seems to believe me when I say “it’s faux!” even after feeling it! It’s toasty warm, too, although I do understand that real fur is warmer. If one is going to wear fur, vintage or faux seems like the way to go. But I’m not going to shun someone for wearing fur. Individual choice.
If I had confidence that the animals were humanly treated prior to their deaths I would be ok with it. I see the stand at the farmers market that sells organic lamb etc also sometimes sells sheepskins. Treat the animals well and use all the parts of the animal.
However that’s not the case for modern fur production and wearing fur feels like co-signing a measure of cruelty that I find distasteful.
I took a fur of my grandmothers and had it turned into the lining of a jacket that is not visible. I would not openly wear faux fur or real fur as I believe neither option can be produced ethically and I would not want the visibility of my vintage furs to contribute to the normalization of either material.
We live in world with so many barriers.
What we can wear, eat and say. If fur makes you happy – why not? It’s gorgeous and WARM!
It’s impossible to appease the “in” thought of the moment.
Wear, eat and say what’s right for you with your head up!!!
Preston, do you have a recommendation for a good fur repair”. Welcome any suggestions!
I agree with Ali’s comment. I love fur, think it can look very chic in the right cut or style , and it is certainly the warmest for colder weather. To each, their own. Love the blog, Preston and always appreciate your style.
Uh, yes. Has been in my repetoire since age three, when gifted a white rabbit coat and remains to date with the heavy rotation of a bespoke sable poncho, a mahogony mink coat and a raw edge sheered ivory mink number that I bought myself when my former boss was found liable for pregnancy discrimination while at Saks looking for pantyhose between business meetings so many years ago! Fur is an all day, everyday, every winter wear for me.
Such a lively conversation. All of our choices have an impact and are often political regardless of whether or not we think they should be. The personal is the political. An educated choice is maybe what’s most important and the understanding that we all live with contradictions.