Real fur

[AlwaysOneMissing]

Is it totally morally wrong to wear real fur?

Even though it's beautiful

I have the opportunity to aquire a vintage real fur mink coat. It's lovely.
But I'm not sure if I feel too guilty. Will I get accosted in the street??!

I wouldn't, but it's up to you. I guess I would just feel bad about it and also that people would be judging me too much. I do think vintage is different to a new item though

People will assume it's fake, for good and bad.

Wearing vintage fur (or not) is a personal, moral question. I don't know if you feel OK to wear it.

I'm completely anti-fur in a modern sense (i.e killing animals today for fur), but vintage is a completely different matter. The poor animals died a long time ago so why not put their fur to use now instead of just binning it - surely that's just a waste? I'd wear it if I had the balls to, which I don't

I have no problem wearing vintage fur.

It ain't getting any deader.

IMHO yes, it's morally wrong, totally, but then I'm the sort of person who would say so if I saw someone wearing it.

There are loads of perfectly nice, classy alternatives although I think any fur, real or fake, looks tasteless and vulgar. Sorry, I know that others will disagree, but that's just my personal opinion.

Yes,I agree,I think it looks awful, and you'll get dirty looks aplenty.

As for wether it's morally wrong because it's vintage,I think fur coats are morally wrong full stop, and wouldn't want to condone/support/advertise such a revolting pastime.

Yes, I sort of agree.

I feel like Phoebe in Friends

I can't help liking it despite me feeling morally against it. I do see the point that if it is vintage and the poor animal died years ago, it doesn't make a lot of difference now.
But I don't think I'd feel comfortable wearing it.

Thanks for your honest replies.

Fur farming should have been stopped a long, long time age. That's a given, I think?

To kill an animal for it's fur and then to through that fur away whilst it's still perfectly fine is, to me, pretty nasty. I'd rather it was worn until falling to bits and then used as a dog bed. It's certainly more environmentally responsible than buying a new synthetic fur (made from oil).

Where do we draw the line though? Say someone buys a new, real fur coat, wears it for a couple of weeks and sells it on. Cowbag. Is that then vintage and OK? I'd say not. A season? 5 years? 25? The animals are still dead and skinned...

TheHouseCleaner - To me liking the look of fur, real or fake, is an entirely other matter. Fake / fur coats and whatnots exist, they are to some peoples tastes.

What Bunny said (if I was that eloquent!)

I take your point, MrsLettuce. :)

What I mean is, what Bunny said and that buyers of vintage fur must to be sure that it's actually properly vintage. If that's the case then I think wearing vintage fur is probably A Good Thing.

Defining 'vintage' here is tough though and one must beware of creating a perceived market for 'new vintage'.

Bunny is absolutely right about vintage fur.

However. Although the anti-fur attitudes of the nineties have gone, and fur is now considered a bit more acceptable, it is still really unusual to see real fur on the street, and even rarer to see a full fur coat as opposed to a trim / collar / tippet. On a shallow level, you'll have to style it carefully so as not to look like an oligarch's WAG. On a wider level, you will potentially be contributing to the normalisation of fur-wearing which could in turn lead to greater demand for new pieces once vintage stock is exhausted.

I bet it's lush though. A dear friend has a rabbit fur coat and it is incredible - so light but so soft and warm.

I dont agree with fur coats but most people i think wouldnt ever imagine its real. My aunt has a couple of stoles with er 'bits' attached..my mum inherited them and she has no idea what to do with them as they are vintage and a piece of history. They were fashionable in the late 30's/40's. I think they are horrible vile things.

Doesn't matter that it's vintage, by wearing it you are keeping the fashion of fur garments going. For every person wandering about in a vintage fur coat there will be someone who sees it and wants one too, goes about getting themselves new one and so the fur trade is kept alive.

Fur needs to be removed from fashion 100%, doesn't matter how ethical some of the fur producers try to be. The vast, vast majority of fur is produced in an appalling manner.

Same applies to angora. Despicable.

On another note...an alarming amount of supposed 'faux fur' is in fact cheaply produced REAL fur.

Even though you're totally correct about the animal being long dead, and it seems a waste of It's life and death if you don't make use of the fur, I would still imagine you would get dirty looks, and I would never do it.

It's the assumption that a person wearing fur, agrees with wearing fur IYSWIM?

I'd wear it. I bet its beautiful.

Agree totally with coldtea.

I have several vintage fur coats and I love them. I won't buy fur that I know is 'new'. Most of mine are probably older then me! They are so soft I could sleep in them...

As a slight aside, I disagree with the posters who say that people wouldn't be able to tell real fur from fake. I can practically tell a mile off. Even good quality fake fur looks clearly fake.

I xposted with coldtea-agreement here.

I can tell real fur too.

It ain't getting any deader. Bunny :)

I'd wear it.

Agree with "coldtea*

Love the look of real fur .............. on the animal :)

Agree with RoyCropper fur is beautiful on the animal. Vintage or new fur clothing = ugly.

Real fur looks so dated and is actually v ageing IMO. Vintage fur looks like something an old dear would wear, it always looks like there might be some fleas lurking around.

As you will have gathered I'm anti fur, I hate that it is added as trims on coats, hats, etc. Just because it's not a full fur coat doesn't mean an animal didn't die in agony.

If I see someone wearing fur I just think they aren't a v nice or good person. There is nothing 'positive' about real fur.