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Stories

 
The Trendiest

Trend Voting: Is it Cool to Wear Fur, Like the Olsen Twins?

By Nina Lalli, Wednesday, Nov. 14 2007 @ 12:20PM
Comments (14)
Categories: The Trendiest

We've been toying with the idea of an Olsen-inspired concept for winter. Kind of a disheveled rich girl thing, which would only be complete with a ratty-looking fur jacket/coat/stole. But this is tricky. How do we all feel about this trend—morally, aesthetically, etc.? Is fake fur better than real? Is vintage better than new?

We decided to take a vote, and asked two-dozen fashionable 20- and 30-somethings. The results are below, and they were somewhat surprising. Please add your two cents as well!


"i would wear anything that is dead. my preferred coat choice when going to kate's joint and/ or yoga."

"Very Little Edie. I'd go for vintage, and real. The point is that once upon a time, you had all the money in the world...and look at you now."

"I feel like new fur reminds me of my father's goom-ba guinea wife whereas vintage fur is classy. I don't know why this is."

"I think fur jackets are pretty gross. Not that leather is any better ethically but leather isn't as in your face as fur. Fake fur doesn't look or feel very good. If you're gonna wear fur, vintage is definitely better than new."

"this is a good winter concept. it requires lots of broken-in leather and underpinnings with sequins."

"um, ok. vintage is yuck. it's not like your dear readers can afford good vintage, and vintage from andy's cheapies or whatever is going to smell like a poisonous old hag. so that's a no. i'm saying really good faux is good, and really good real is fine if you have the cajones to pull it off. on the other hand, if you do have cajones you should not be wearing fur."

"Ratty but not really ratty. I like the look of awesome fur with a messy bed head, very MK. I'm all for vintage fur. I'm for REALLY GOOD fake fur...so good it looks super real and is super $$$. Morally I have to say I'm not for new fur but secretly I'm for it. I also think fur is for night time activities. A fur coat at 9am just doesn't work for me ....unless you are doing the walk of shame and then I love it."

"Fake fur's great, but the Olsens aren't ratting it up enough in those photos. Although one time, my sister had a really ratty fake fur-trimmed coat, and it looked like a giant vag on her. She was not pleased when I brought this up."

"Look: animals who are furry are cute, there's no doubt about it. Panda bears, seals, even beavers. They're adorable! But buying fur is not exactly equivalent to choosing your lobster in the tank at the Chinese restaurant. The mink or whatever (and those are ugly) are long dead. That doesn't make it right, but I think it makes wearing fur less wrong than some would have you believe. Just because you and your vegan Oberlin-alum friends boycott it, doesn't mean Russian oil barons and their mistresses are going to.

The reason I vote for vintage over new fur is not political, it's aesthetic. Unless you're going to spend $14,000 on a Fendi shrug, anything you find is going to be, frankly, hideous, because it was designed for a target customer with horrible, horrible taste: dentists in St. Louis, mobster wives in Brighton Beach, hip hop artists. You want fur that's like 'Oh, I borrowed this from Anna Wintour,' or 'Oh, my great grandmother was the Queen of Norway and this was hers.' For that, you're going to have to buy something vintage. Then you're going to have to put on sunglasses that are way too big for your face and buy a Venti iced coffee and there: You're an Olsen."


"my ratty fake fur is kind of better because it brings in an element of a loved teddy bear or something."

"pro. i wear this giant weird vintage fur when i'm ready to be ridiculous. so yeah. it's already dead. you're not supporting the industry or whatever, just whichever hipster street vendor/grandma you buy it from. warning, though, old fur smells like, well, old fur."

"my mom had an old skunk-fur coat and whenever it rained it stank like skunk -- until a dog totally attacked the coat at a dinner party and ripped it to shreds. my mom wore a parka home that night."

"i think fake is better."

"I think the best fur is one that frames your face and makes you look glam rather than one that hangs there and makes you look like you have on a bathrobe (like ashley pic #3) I had a good one in my riot grrrl phase, too bad I don’t have any pictures. I don’t like new, I think fake is fine, and vintage is better (though smell is indeed a sticking point).

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Comments (14)

Fur-Free says:

If you can't skin a raccoon dog alive, or watch your own pet dog get accidentally killed in a trap, how can you wear fur?

These both happen all the time, and it's based on demand. Last Thanksgiving, 3 dogs were killed in fur traps in NYS.

And wearing vintage creates a social acceptance that leads people to buy new coats, keeping the supply and demand loop going.

Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 14 2007 @ 7:36PM
Lacey Matthews says:

I think it's safe to say it's not cool to do anything like the Olsen twins, including wearing ratty furs, ripped tights, and bug-eyed sunglasses, and eternally clutching a pack of cigarettes in a deathlike grip.

Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 15 2007 @ 10:03AM
Wendy says:

Fur is for insecure people who try to impress others by wearing the skin of an animal that suffered a horrible existence and death. I don't even like to wear fake fur as you aren't 100% sure it is from a dog in China.

Admire beauty but don't kill for it!

Secure in my own skin, Wendy

Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 15 2007 @ 12:16PM
what's matter with people says:

Only ugly women wear fur. Cruel is not cool and anybody who wears it tells the world "I am a selfish ignorant vacuous shit." Are you listening J-Lo, Diddy, Sharon Stone, et. al? The animals they kill for their vapidity are beautiful innocents. The people who wear it ugly ignorants. As for fake fur--a lot of it ain't fake, it's dogs and cats from China. As for vintage, why would you want to wrap yourself in an emblem of suffering? You know what's really hip and cutting edge? Compassion. That would be a nice trend.

Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 15 2007 @ 12:19PM
Daylight says:

Fake is current, easy to care for and painless toward God's creatures.
Hands/{paws} down.

Posted On: Thursday, Nov. 15 2007 @ 1:54PM
Chica says:

Do you own a leather bag or shoes? Do you eat meat of any kind? If not, then you have a right to be irritated by those that choose to wear fur. Otherwise, you do not. As to which is "better": vintage, new or faux? I'd have to say vintage fur beats all. Not only are vintage furs more elegantly styled than new and better looking than faux but by wearing vintage one honors the past and extends the useful life of an object that deserves to be cherished. What would the PETA folk have us do with all the glorious and plentiful vintage furs? Toss them in the garbage or incinerate them? Would the same bin a full roast after eating only a slice? Pshaw! Waste not, lovlies and you shall never be impoverished.

Posted On: Monday, Dec. 3 2007 @ 9:03PM
grace says:

disgusting! fur is murder. if you want to look like a mink so badly, kill yourself and hope to incarnate as one.

buying vintage or used fur is recycling those that have already been sacrificed for this silly purpose so if you absolutely feel fur is a necessary element of your wordrobe- do it that way. benefit from the mistakes we have made in the past when we didn't know better

Posted On: Wednesday, Dec. 5 2007 @ 2:00PM
jas says:

To the one who stated "What would the PETA folk have us do with all the glorious and plentiful vintage furs? Toss them in the garbage or incinerate them? Would the same bin a full roast after eating only a slice? Pshaw! Waste not, lovlies and you shall never be impoverished."

I beg to differ. What is so glorious about wearing something dead? I honestly don't see it. How could one say that they would go to waste, when the soul reason why people kill for fur is for profit, cold earned cash. How can we call ourselves humans and say we are superior and civilzed, when we just kill for the heck of it and not for survival. Which in this case is only to indicate status, for those who are insecure. I am fine in my own skin thanks. I would hope that more people would feel the same.

Posted On: Friday, Dec. 14 2007 @ 8:16PM
FUR SUCKS says:

OMG !!!!!!! >:O You people Make Me SICK!!!!! THE ONLY STICKY PART IS THE SMELL?!!!?YOU GO OFF AND DRAPE YOURSELF'S IN SOMEONE ELSE IS FAMILY !!!! IT SICKENS ME !!
I BET YOU GUY'S WOULD NOT THINK IT WOULD BE FABU TO WEAR A DEAD DOG !!!!! I SAY IT'S TABOO !!!!!!!

Posted On: Monday, Dec. 24 2007 @ 2:26AM
cochon says:

that's a double dose of fugly. those two are seriously busted.

Posted On: Thursday, Jan. 3 2008 @ 1:54PM
Just J says:

UUUHHHMMMM, can I say animal husbandry was the first undertaking from the men who crawled out of the cave? And I believe in the pagan way of using the natural around us. Granted we have other means to keep warm with synthetics, however I want to remain connected to the pagan past. thank you.

Posted On: Thursday, Jan. 24 2008 @ 9:25PM
Ana says:

All I can say is I think fur are lousy, oldfashioned, disgusting and above all not higienic. Plus it means some animals had to die ... so no fur in my closet

Posted On: Friday, Jan. 25 2008 @ 5:22PM
Vegan Douglass says:

Just for the record:
PETA asks fur owners to pass their fur coats to PETA. PETA then donate them to homeless shelters.

I see one of the "fashionable 20- and 30-somethings" states they "would wear anything that is dead."

So they'd feel comfortable wearing their father's skin for shoes and matching jacket (belt, too!), or a muff woven from their sister's hair.
Classic. Remember, leather is dead skin.

85% of fur comes from China and a majority of this fur comes from dogs and cats. Many of them are pets, as they still have their tags on them. Please check out the video on furisdead.com. There's no denying the cruelty of the fur industry and wearing fur. This includes fur trim: This "fashionable" nonsense the clothing industry is slipping under consumer's noses, as it is a major element of cruelty in the fur industry.
Please make compassion your fashion and tell each and every person you see, wearing fur, that “mean people wear fur,” and go faux or drop fur altogether.
Thanks!

Boycott cruelty daily and Go Vegan.
GoVeg.com

Posted On: Thursday, Jan. 31 2008 @ 6:59PM
Eric says:

ABSOLUTELY DISGUESTING!!

I am a guy who knows how cruel and sadistic fur is. I personally get repulsed by any lady I see wearing the bit of fur becuase it shows how cruel and senseless they are. I would never go near a fur wearing lady nore will I touch one with a 10 foot pole.

Bottom Line: Fur is for beautiful ANIMALS and UGLY people!

Posted On: Wednesday, Feb. 6 2008 @ 3:11PM

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