Every once in a while we come across a donated fur coat that we can’t pass up. We have a strict rule to only buy the best furs because they are such an investment on the front end. But, we DO buy them because we live in Chicago, and it gets as cold as witches tits here.
Before you go all PETA and throw paint on us, Katie and I are animal lovers. We both have two furry souls with whom we gladly share our homes. I can confidently say we will never be the people that have a fur commissioned, or designed, or buy anything new. However, we do believe that almost everything that was once a quality piece and still has some life left in it, deserves a second chance. This includes our furry friends and the life they donated for a Russian princess to be warm during her obligatory visit to Siberia.
Katie scooped this particularly gorgeous vintage piece during a sweep through Salvation. The oversized shoulders, cape-like-fit and front pockets were all details that landed it in the “yes” pile. I took over from there and made a trip to our friends at Elan Furs in the ‘burbs. First I learned that we know nothing about furs. Second, I learned a whole bunch of tid bits:
1. Furs are an investment. And not just financially. There is maintenance involved- they need to be stored in a particular fashion, cleaned by rolling around in sawdust in a giant drum and worn every season to keep them from drying out and losing their shape.
2. This particular fur is special. The ladies at Elan gasped when I pulled it out of a garment bag (which is also a big no no, apparently). It was immediately identified as Russian squirrel made in a land far far away. When I mentioned we would probably sell it, the head furrier sternly said to me, “You CAN NOT sell this. It is too rare and beautiful.”
3. Worth and value are different. They appraised the worth of this beautiful cape somewhere between $3500-$4500. However, the market determines what people will actually pay for it. How much it will be valued essentially. It is vintage and rare but if the buyer does not see the value, there will be no willingness to purchase.
We made the difficult decision to invest more than we ever have in a piece of thrifted clothing, $250 bones to be exact, to revive this beauty to her former glory. We are so happy we did, because special and rare items should be treated as such. It the most glamorous thing we have, and we cannot wait to send it on it’s new fabulous life. It’s available now in our Tradesy closet.
Xo,
Helen
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