This is such a heated topic for some that I sometimes find myself defending my love for vintage furs to others. I thought I would express just a couple reasons why people should be less judgmental of those still rocking vintage furs.
First and foremost, I have been a animal lover and activist all my life. Yes, even as a baby. My mom told me my first word was "Me Me". We lived in a rural area of NJ and I would spat out "Me Me" as I would crawl and do hand gestures at our cat. I always wanted the cat close to me. (I guess that little girl in me never truly left. There is no comfort to me more than a cat curled up beside me or on my lap (or head and legs when I sleep).
Since those child years, I have never been without rescued/adopted animals in my home. I believe in always sharing what I have with animals. I have a groundhog that lives under my house even now. When I found out there were squirrels in my attic(I could here them scurrying around), I never trapped them but felt it important to share the warmth of my attic with them during the winter months. Even the bats that have frequented my bedroom when I sleep, I open the window for them to escape. I never would want to harm another animal.
When it comes to vintage furs, I am a fan. Vintage fur coats are made better than most coats today. They are usually heavier and block the wind far better than newer ones. The fur adds a bit of softness and reminds me of the beauty of other animals. (I am a firm believer that people are animals too. I am not a supremacist.)
"A more practical reason furs were coveted in the 1950s and ’60s, Davis Hine says, is that cars didn’t have heat. So people would wear the warmest coat possible while driving, known as “car coats.” Griffin (of IDA) says that today we have innovative materials like down-filled jackets that are better at keeping you warm, but Annessa Woods disagrees."
“I can’t lie; there’s nothing warmer than fur,” she says. “I have coats that are down filled, and I don’t necessarily feel as warm and protected as I do in a fur.”- Anna Woods
I find it strange how people are so readily against wearing vintage fur but will go to a restaurant and ordered a meal containing meat or animal products (cheese, milk, egg, etc). If an animal dies for your consumption now, it's ok? But it's not ok to wear an animal that died to keep you warm many decades ago?
Rachel Poliquin, the author of The Breathless Zoo: Taxidermy and the Cultures of Longing, says she’s always wondered why the fur fashion has always garnered so much more hatred than other uses of animals like eating meat or making leather clothes, bags, belts, or shoes.
Wearing vintage fur is a form of homage to the animal. A respect to the animal that died even before I was born. I find it a bit horrific to think the animal died decades ago to just be thrown in a pile of trash.
"For fashionistas who love both animals and wearing fur, going vintage seems like a simple solution. Old furs don’t directly contribute to the profits of modern fur farms, and they’re less toxic to the environment than faux furs (shown by Anna Sui and Christian Siriano on the runway), which are made from petroleum."
So, no matter whether you are for or against vintage furs I think the main think you have to understand is that no animal was harmed in this decade (or the past 20 years at least) from wearing a vintage fur. Don't be a hypocrite. Don't be judgmental. If you don't like vintage fur, don't wear it. If you do like it, wear it.
