My first vintage coat (plus thoughts on wearing fur)
It seems counter-intuitive to buy a wool coat in July, especially since the weather here lately has been like a billion degrees (okay, only a million degrees). But, when I found this coat yesterday - camel wool, , silk satin lining, buttons with rhinestones and a fur collar - at my local thrift shop for 1/2 off and UNDER $13, I just had to have it.
I was (pleasantly) surprised to find that while watching the season 2 finale of Mad Men yesterday, Betty's coat that she wears to drop the kidlets off at Don's hotel room is strikingly similar to my own coat (in fact, underneath the fur collar lies a fabric collar almost identical to the one on Betty's coat below, and I have contemplated taking the fur off, since it is tacked on with big whipstitches)
The picture is also helpful in that it shows how these coats were worn - loose, not form-fitting at all. Which makes sense, especially if you're wearing a crinoline/circle skirt under your coat - you need that extra space to allow fo the the skirt-age. So, while the coat definitely looks big on the hanger, it is a perfect vintage fit. ;)
From what I have been able to deduce, this coat probably dates to the 1960s, and possibly even earlier. I feel like I finally have a stronghold on dating vintage dresses, but outerwear is a whole 'nother thing, and I'm still trying to learn as much as I can about it.
I read somewhere (can't remember the exact source) that vintage coats are not in demand at all (which is why you see so many of them at such good prices). In fact, it's cheaper to buy a new coat than a vintage coat. Particularily since (as I mentioned above) the styles and fit are a lot different than what we are used to today. Which also brings me to my next point: I think people tend to also shy away from vintage coats because of fur. Indeed, when I visit the same thrift shop where I got this coat, the vintage section (how awesome is it that my thrift shop has a vintage section, btw?) always has a selection of fur coats that just never seem to sell.
My thoughts on fur are mixed. On the one hand, I don't feel bad about wearing a fur collar from 50+ years ago, since it just sits there otherwise and I can't really take responsibility for an animal that was killed before I was born. But today, the use of fur seems only reserved for the upper crusts of society, and even then, it still seems very "ethically incorrect" to be sporting anything with fur on it (and I'm taking about real fur, not the obviously man-made stuff). While I do think it is sad that an animal today is just killed for its fur, I can see how wearing said animal is also preseving its beauty, rather than letting the animal die in the wild and then decompose in a heap. And I don't think that the tactic by animal rights' groups (particularily PETA, at the extreme end) is accomplishing anything by splattering fur coats with fake blood. The animal is dead anyways, and now the coat is ruined and will have to be thrown out. But, I digress. And I think the whole concept of wearing fur has largely faded away in our 21st-century look that tends to be dominated by casual wear.
I definitely plan on doing a full Betty Draper look with this coat, but sometime when it's not so stifling hot! I really like the juxtaposition of the feminine sillouhette with the masculine plaid on the dress below, so maybe that will be my fall project. ;)
