tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post2221372150846672593..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: The Ethics of Vintage FurPeter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-70105153242208806792014-10-21T18:29:51.089-04:002014-10-21T18:29:51.089-04:00I have a few of these minks like your first few pi...I have a few of these minks like your first few pics! My grandmother had them made back in the 40s I think. Cleaning out closets and I don't know what to do with them. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16787519502645646773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-91641191206193524472014-09-16T03:32:33.244-04:002014-09-16T03:32:33.244-04:00Actually, in the UK vintage fur is very popular a...Actually, in the UK vintage fur is very popular at events such as the revival. I was quite astonished when I went for the first time this weekend at how many ladies wore vintage stoles and furs. Because the masses seem to be wearing their furs at such events I feel that they are not inspiring joe public to wear fur. Upon researching how much a new fur would set someone back I'd be surprised if many could afford it in this current climate. The ladies I spoke to (mostly reenactors) were very aware of where their furs had come from. One interesting point one made was that certain furs arethe product of keeping the eco system in check and controlling sepcies population. So for me (and I'm very against animal cruelty) vintage fur is acceptable...new fur ought to simply be illegalised unless the animal has died of natural causes (which is how the military gets its tiger and bear pelts now)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-35175401089243907852014-06-07T07:04:32.289-04:002014-06-07T07:04:32.289-04:00No problem, Lisa Marie. Thank you for all your gr...No problem, Lisa Marie. Thank you for all your great comments!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-84550488626561458792014-06-07T01:07:40.070-04:002014-06-07T01:07:40.070-04:00Sorry, I mean, thanks *Peter*- just started readin...Sorry, I mean, thanks *Peter*- just started reading, got confused for a second, never been great with names!Lisa Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09414520041541790979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-31595010126240241862014-06-07T00:59:47.630-04:002014-06-07T00:59:47.630-04:00You are awesome for asking such thoughtful and tho...You are awesome for asking such thoughtful and thought provoking questions about fur and the psychology of fur.<br /><br />I bought my first fur at a yard sale in Des Moines, Iowa in 1994. It was a fabulous black fur from the 20's - actually, there were two: one 3/4 length with wide sleeves, and another very boxy hip length caplet. <br /><br />I wore these coats without much thought or comment for a few years, then moved west to Washington and then Oregon. MY! What looks I received! How quick people are to judge just based on a glance! Not only was I assumed to be wealthy, but also heartless, cruel, and just plain out DeVille! <br /><br />I went ahead and continued to wear those coats until they fell apart, which is what happens to everything, eventually - they weren't in great condition when I got them, which made the whole thing even more ironic, as you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that they were vintage.<br /><br />So... Does wearing vintage fur contribute to the fur market? No. Buying second hand ANYTHING is a great way of ensuring that one is not contributing to the market - whoever owned it previously either got tired of it or died. Either way, I would rather honor the critter that died to make that fur by wearing it rather than putting it in a land fill. Of course, if anyone wants to do a healing ceremonial burial of any furs they find, I encourage them to do so.<br /><br />And as far as promoting the killing of new critters by wearing vintage furs... I would like to think that I am not promoting the wearing of cheap Walmart jeans by wearing nice, vintage jeans. To be more direct, I would hope that the average person has a bit more between the ears than to think: Oh! That pretty lady is wearing a (vintage) fur coat: I think that I should go spend $10K on one for myself! I mean, really! Most people can't afford a real, new fur in the first place, and the ones that can... Well, I doubt that they are inspired by my bohemian ass, and am relatively sure that we might have a few more things to add to their karmic tab at the end of the day:P<br /><br />Note: You can get furs like the ones you pictured all over the place at antique stores on the West Coast. While it is slightly impractical for me to wear such things on a daily basis in Portland (I might get more than I bargained for with lunch), I do pity them, rotting in a corner as it is not only out of vogue to wear such things, but considered to be politically incorrect. I feel like buying them and making art from them, maybe a patchwork throw of little heads and tails. Once I thought about making a lambswool coat from salvaged, vintage ones, but sewing the pelts together seamlessly, and getting them all of the same shade... I decided to go with a faux cotton lambswool instead, contributing to God knows what chemical processes and slave labor in who-knows-where. <br /><br />Remember, everything we do as a human has a price to something, someone, somewhere. I think that buying things second hand, re-using and reducing, is the lowest impact decision we can make. <br /><br />Thank you, Michael, for such a lovely page. You rock! Lisa Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09414520041541790979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-53885567624810303682014-04-21T05:12:30.394-04:002014-04-21T05:12:30.394-04:00im a older straight male,my aunts and grandma had ...im a older straight male,my aunts and grandma had furs.my mom tickled me when i was 3 years old with grandma:s mink.well that did it,i was naked and i still cant get over fur or even looking or talking about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-10310251382503011812013-06-13T08:12:20.156-04:002013-06-13T08:12:20.156-04:00Great comment, Ashe. Thank you!Great comment, Ashe. Thank you!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-8197391010395349252013-06-12T15:52:14.025-04:002013-06-12T15:52:14.025-04:00I find nothing wrong with vintage fur. My grandmot...I find nothing wrong with vintage fur. My grandmother (who nowadays is extremely pro-animal welfare, to the point where she rarely even eats meat) gave me some sentimental vintage pieces out of her closet, such as a 1950s ivory cocktail ring and a gorgeous mink-fur winter coat that my grandfather bought for her in the early 1960s that is still in pristine condition. In my opinion, it would be a shame to discard these pieces: 1.) At the time they were bought, it was social norm and my grandparents weren't aware of the gruesome reality of fur farming, 2.) these animals died in an undignified and excessively painful manner...it seems like an outright waste of life to have stripped them of their lives and body parts in vain--I would rather honor the intent behind the killing of the animals, rather than allow them to have been frivolously murdered and desecrated.<br /><br />As far as modern fur goes, the concept of killing an animal for the sheer sake of fashion is abhorrent and the methods of killing that many foreign fur farms use are inhumane and horrific. I always check clothing labels to avoid perpetuating the fur industry.<br />However, I believe there is nothing wrong with wearing fur and animal material that has been obtained ethically, such as utilizing remains from deceased animals found in nature or leather from animals that have been killed for food. There are also ethical ways to purchase animal furs: every year, a certain amount of wildlife is culled by government-sanctioned programs, for the purpose of population control and pelts can be obtained that way (we're talking about animals that have been cleanly shot and/or euthanized by the Department of Fish and Game, NOT animals that have been ruthlessly skinned alive by the masses by unregulated fur farmers).<br /> <br />In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with utilizing ethically-obtained parts to avoid WASTING life. It's the industry of casually farming and killing animals for something as superficial as fashion, that creates a problem.Ashehttp://ashewednesday.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-9959661485449862192013-01-23T20:11:20.010-05:002013-01-23T20:11:20.010-05:00Wow,what a polarizing topic! I have a ratty old co...Wow,what a polarizing topic! I have a ratty old coat, 50s vintage, that I received in a bag of garage sale castoffs in 1983 - I didn't know until 5 years ago that it is Moutan - sheep, I guess that it. It is incredibly warm, beautiful, and has been dead longer than I have been alive. I don't like the idea of animals raised inhumanely, but I grew up on a farm, and eat meat and wear leather. So, I wear the coat, otherwise...what, put it in a landfill?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-18134597840976133692013-01-22T17:40:07.046-05:002013-01-22T17:40:07.046-05:00I love the look and feel of fur stoles for special...I love the look and feel of fur stoles for special occasions, and on the trim of jackets or hats in winter (it rarely gets so cold that I'd need a full fur coat here). For me, the ethics are pretty simple: why contribute to the production of environmentally damaging chemicals and the use of precious resources for something I'll only wear a handful of times a year? Why not wear something that has been dead for 60 years instead of sending it off to landfill? I think many activists fail to see the forest for the trees in this regard. I'd rather people make choices that protect the environment as a whole rather than a few animals. <br />Faux fur probably doesn't contribute to people buying new furs - I feel like the markets which can afford new versus those who can only buy faux/vintage are completely divorced from one another, both economically and in terms of where they get their inspiration (designer versus vintage inspired).<br />I don't think you have to worry about paint weilding bystanders anymore. With the rise of faux fur it's probably too hard for them to tell who is a terrible, burn in hell corpse wearer and who is a trendy vegan!Miss Emmihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07251628463640473391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-10918535567685598592013-01-22T16:39:23.339-05:002013-01-22T16:39:23.339-05:00It seems to me only old ladies and drag queens wea...It seems to me only old ladies and drag queens wear fur. Unless with a vintage ensemble of clothes for period costume event. It sure doesn't go with California. A friend decided to wear her fur coat to a party (I didn't want to express my viewpoint of the two kinds of fur wearers, didn't want to spoil it for her). However, in some places not recommended as some PETA people may splash you with paint. I wouldn't wear fur unless it is faux fur (some of it is fairly good quality, not cheapo) but then I eat meat and occasionally leather boots so I'm probably guilty the same.<br />Recently West Hollywood passed an ordinance prohibiting fur for sale in city limits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24787343152657028532013-01-22T00:59:10.378-05:002013-01-22T00:59:10.378-05:00Wow!! I live in a temperate climate and don't ...Wow!! I live in a temperate climate and don't have a need to wear fur, but I guess I'm fine with fur from pest animals, including vintage ones. Same goes for leather. Here in New Zealand, introduced Australian possums are a huge pest and threat to the bush, birdlife, and cattle. In recent years there has been an effort to popularise possum fur mixed with wool, which is wonderfully warm and light. At this stage I don't believe there is a risk of deliberate perpetuation of a pest species, but it's always a risk. Rabbits are another major pest but I don't think it's so economic to bother with their fur. <br />I'd never contemplate new fur from a rare or endangered animal. I don't really have an opinion on farmed ones. As I live in a city I am also prepared to eat meat I didn't raise and kill myself. <br />Like everything, using something you need and making it last a lifetime is vastly different from constantly turning over unnecessary stuff. I am sure Cathy, with her sympathy for the underdog, will be leaving her fur collection,along with her clothing and shoes, to a worthy cause of her choosing. Lyndlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02074439380587418342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-22913488291668892432013-01-21T10:53:20.926-05:002013-01-21T10:53:20.926-05:00 Oh my. You really opened up a can with this o... Oh my. You really opened up a can with this one. But I suppose you knew ahead of time. In any case, you wear whatever makes you feel good. Just avoid suspicious looking bystanders holding buckets of paint.<br /> Off topic, but I have to say, from the pictures, the snood look is not one of my favorites. (I say that to remind myself as much as for anyone else.)Papadesdeuxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11629184020220545924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-83337271095400479522013-01-21T00:02:09.004-05:002013-01-21T00:02:09.004-05:00I also fall into the "don't care" ca...I also fall into the "don't care" category, but would much prefer vintage over new. I say go for it.geogrrlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935352129240009810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-35923555219135263922013-01-20T10:30:09.327-05:002013-01-20T10:30:09.327-05:00I think this is a really hard one. My mom has a go...I think this is a really hard one. My mom has a gorgeous fur coat she got as a wedding gift 40 years ago (fox or even something wolf-like I think) which I adore. My grandmother had one of the stoles you are talking about (with the eyes and paws), and that one, too, I adore. <br />My mom doesn't wear the fur coat anymore (but I can remember her wearing it about 25 years ago) because it is a real fur and she considers it ethically not-done to wear fur.<br />I think this is a very difficult subject.<br />On the one hand I think real fur is something that shouldn't even be considered buying new. Technology has evolved enough to make sure that faux looks and feels just as good as the real thing. (I have gloves with a large piece of faux-fur on them, and I love them because of how they look and because they are supersoft and because they keep me warm).<br />Vintage fur is something quite different but still remains a difficult subject. I personally think, ethically, you can wear it, but you will be judged by others as an animal-hater. As for the question if it encourages new fur, unfortunately, I think it does...<br />Maybe that is why I haven't claimed my mothers' fur coat and stole as my own (that, and the fact that I think I am at least 20 to 30 years too young to wear the kind of fur coat my mother has).<br /><br />Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13696577284937091251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-55785796711191771082013-01-19T18:42:10.592-05:002013-01-19T18:42:10.592-05:00I'm in the "don't care" category...I'm in the "don't care" category about fur in general, but I must say, there is something more special about a vintage fur over a modern one. It is the same with all vintage stuff, they have *something* more. <br /><br />I own a vintage fur cape, and I adore it. My grandmother moved to a nursing home last year, and she let my cousin and I search her fur closet in the attic (yes - she had an entire CLOSET full of furs passed down from her mother and aunt), and take what we wanted. The rest would be given to charity. I am kind of skinny, and I almost disapeared in the bigger ones, but luckily found a perfect little cape. <br />I love it because it is glamorous and vintage without being over-the-top. <br /><br />/AngelicaAngelicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09283377823224344848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-84473919027647155202013-01-19T15:27:35.002-05:002013-01-19T15:27:35.002-05:00Totally fabulous - wore it until the skins came ap...Totally fabulous - wore it until the skins came apart & it had totally died.sarah chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12420367186796307675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-89546145845649629342013-01-19T13:50:11.992-05:002013-01-19T13:50:11.992-05:00I am a 1 when it comes to the fur question. I usu...I am a 1 when it comes to the fur question. I usually lean towards more vintage, but I do also own a handful of contemporary pieces including a gorgeous burgundy fox mini stole given to me by my mother for my wedding.<br />Fur isn't overly popular where I live, but I usually only wear it for special events or very cold days in the winter.<br />For myself, I find it hypocritical of me to eat meat, consume animal by-products and wear/use leather and then be offended by fur. It's the same feeling I get when staunch vegetarians sit there in their leather shoes judging me for eating meat. Doesn't make sense.<br />Saying that, I have owned really lovely faux pieces in the past. Funny enough, it was a faux piece that someone intentionally damaged with a cigarette at an event I was at. <br /><br />As a reference: I'm a meat eater partly because I want to be, partly because there isn't a whole lot I can eat that I'm not allergic to. My husband? ALMOST a vegan.<br />I collect, wear and sew vintage and I live on the West Coast of Canada in beautiful BC, where the weather is really quite moderate. girliefrankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18387754406763718930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-79537748615563911802013-01-19T13:25:34.268-05:002013-01-19T13:25:34.268-05:00Number 3 for me. And by fake, I mean really fake,...Number 3 for me. And by fake, I mean really fake, that fine line between trashy and Muppet. <br /><br />I won't get into my thoughts on wearing fur, leather, etc, or consuming meat. If you must do fur, then wear an animal killed before my mother was born. I will state my opposition to the fox stole. It's just creepy. I mean, seriously... the little feet, the face! Dear god, the face! It's staring at you from the closet, your left shoulder, GAH! Oh and when it's like 3 of them, linked together! Ugh. So creepy.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12430906729582358085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-45403318694598792862013-01-19T11:19:22.474-05:002013-01-19T11:19:22.474-05:00TO be honest the most daunting part of this is the...TO be honest the most daunting part of this is the fact that you can actually see they were animals, with their heads and everything! eek! <br />I love faux fur, and I do wear leather but I can't make up my mind about vintage fur.. I do know that I wouldn't wear the ones that looks like deflated foxes though, they freak me out. (though I see no harm in it!)Kessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07244901633976072691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-78260388214304710902013-01-19T10:58:24.315-05:002013-01-19T10:58:24.315-05:00I'm firmly in the "I don't care"...I'm firmly in the "I don't care" camp. I don't wear fur, real or fake, mainly because it never gets that cold where I live. People who wear fur out here are just being pretentious. I mean 50 degrees is a cold snap. I would never wear fake fur because it is ugly and fake. Also, I'm allergic to some real fur, like fox. I have worn coats with real fur trim and would again. Needless to say there are no vegetarians in my household. Generally fur is not acceptable in California because being a vegetarian is so trendy right now. Kids get the message early in school. At least mine did. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032903680375150744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-8682465670851459192013-01-19T09:58:47.488-05:002013-01-19T09:58:47.488-05:00My guideline is if I came across this creature in ...My guideline is if I came across this creature in my garage, would I call Animal Control or an exterminator? My thought is that if I would have the animal poisoned to keep it out of my home I would be a hypocrite to say it can't be worn. <br /><br />On the lighter side I was gifted a terribly unconvincing fake chinchilla jacket that the manufacturer for some reason put a heavy quilted lining into. I call it "The heatstroke jacket" and keep it because about every third winter we'll have a spell of -20F days and I'm very glad to have it. During one of these occasions I'm browsing in a bookstore. Another woman my age was nearby. A young teenager kept passing in back of us making "tisk tisk" sounds behind me. The other woman and I would look at each other and crack up every time she did it because the jacket is that unrealistic. Of course the kid's vision might have been obscured by the seven hoodies she had on to stay warm.<br /><br />(Really, the coat is maybe one step above the fun fur Joanns puts out at Halloween for children's costumes but I don't care that I look like I'm wearing a sports mascot costume without the head when it's -20. It's too cold for the fashion police to be out giving tickets.)Melnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-6216679984842452162013-01-19T09:48:36.065-05:002013-01-19T09:48:36.065-05:00I'm with the "only wear the fur/leather i...I'm with the "only wear the fur/leather if the animal was killed for meat" crowd. But I'm not judgmental about it for vintage furs.lwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08731797783816953087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-2945520330325886682013-01-19T07:50:17.573-05:002013-01-19T07:50:17.573-05:00Nothing to do with ethics, but it's funny:
In...Nothing to do with ethics, but it's funny:<br /><br />In the '50s and '60s, there used to be a frequent special request from wealthy women who vacationed in the Catskills - to remove the label from a fur and re-sew it back in, upside down.<br /><br />The reason? So that when you wore a lovely new fur to Grossinger's or Kutscher's, and hung it over the back of a chair, everyone could easily see that the coat was from Bergdorf's or wherever. They wanted you should <i>know</i>!Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14179527486369159565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-53407724396026651632013-01-19T07:49:53.460-05:002013-01-19T07:49:53.460-05:00Timeframe for the deaths is irrelevant. You could...Timeframe for the deaths is irrelevant. You could also say of a new fur that the animals already died so one should use it and not be wasteful. If you don't agree with modern killing then vintage killing should be no different. Making and wearing vintage is really all about fun and an accessory that needs ethical clarity is a definite downer. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07788564394817648773noreply@blogger.com