My mother was born in 1930 and she had a short fur cape. It must have been a big thing back then. I hated it. I have never worn fur – that I know of. You never really knew about fur-like trim on garments before the advent of detailed clothing labels. I have never really liked faux fur either. It looks too real for me.
Growing up in Africa, you never really saw fur coats, though I did notice quite a few when I came to the cold climes of northern Europe. Russian tourists often used to wear them, and there were quite a few ‘fur storage’ facilities in Stockholm, which would store your furs for the summer. I am not sure how many of these storage places are left. I learned that real fur really protects against the cold, so it would have been a necessity in rural areas in times gone by.
What I have noticed this winter is that quite a few young people (Generation Z I would say, though I am not great with ages) are wearing fur. Whether it is real or not I am not sure, but I have seen second hand stores selling real fur. I asked about it and was told that fake fur has plastic in it, so young people are choosing to recycle real furs rather than wear ‘plastic’. They feel it is the more ethical choice, as the fur was already in circulation. Apparently the real fur coats sell fast. I still wouldn’t wear one, though I wouldn’t judge someone in a second hand one.
