Since discovering the world of vintage, I have noticed that there are a lot of fur coats, fur collars, fur stoles….and it brings the question to mind…is it morally acceptable to wear vintage fur, or is it better to fake it?
I am an animal lover, and absolutely hate any form of animal cruelty…yet I eat meat, and wear leather…although leather is a slightly different issue as it is a byproduct from the meat industry…
When I took part in the styling sessions a couple of weeks ago, I had to wear a vintage fox stole for a brief time…but I hated it…it had feet attached…horrible…never again…
However, I have to admit that I found a gorgeous vintage black fur short cape at Minette’s Vintage, and it was so cosy and warm, especially in this cold, miserable weather…
Photo courtesy of Minette’s Vintage
I was tempted….but couldn’t resolve in my mind whether I could morally wear it, and what the opinions of others would be if they knew it was real fur.
The cape is beautifully made, and is from the 1930s…but it is real fur…no idea what animal it came from though…
In terms of fake fur, I have never really given it any thought…I bought a coat for this winter that has a large fake fur collar on it…I bought it because I just love the design of it…..and no one has asked if the collar is real or fake…
But I would never wear a whole coat of fake fur, especially a long overcoat….because to me it looks…well…fake! Actually, I wouldn’t wear a full long coat of real fur either…
I would like to emphasize that I would never contemplate anything new made with real fur……therefore I have no idea why I would even consider buying that cape!
So I am at a quandary…
Wearing vintage fashion is a form of recycling, so by wearing vintage fur, you are preventing it from being thrown out…
but by wearing it, are you adding to a fashion trend for new fur items?
And the fact that there is so many vintage fur items around, does that mean not many people are happy to wear them… or is that there is just not as many people interested in wearing vintage items full stop?
There seems to be three schools of thought when it comes to vintage fur….those who are totally against it…those like me who can’t really decide…and those who are happy to wear vintage fur and wear it proudly.
If I hadn’t fallen in love with vintage style, I never would have considered real fur but now….I really can’t decide….what do you think?
You know, I never thought I would wear animal fur – vintage or new. But when the polar vortex hit the US, and the temperatures plummeted to -20C and more, I didn’t care. In fact animal fur beat polyester in the warmth stakes every. Single. Day.
The cape … Possibly mink? Someone told me they are nasty little creatures. It didn’t help my ethical dilemma.
I also own a vintage fur cape and also struggled with the same views. But I also wear leather shoes with no guilt and eat meat. Its confronting at first but once i started wearing the cape i accepted the beauty for what it stood for in the past. Seen lots of capes in op shops too… they need to be saved from the landfills! Lol