'Rosebud' modelling a Mink StoleThe doll was a gift from my Auntie Olive on my 3rd Birthday
My mother-in-law, Kitty, passed away last September, two weeks short of her 93rd Birthday and I'm still coping with boxes of "stuff", including a large collection of furs. MIL loved to dress up, donning hats, scarves, furs and jewellery and in her eighties was given the name, "Queen Mother", which she loved, as she was an English lady.
My dilemma now is, what to do with the furs?There are about six stoles, two jackets,
a neck warmer and also my Mother's long rabbit coat.
A theatre company might appreciate them.
a neck warmer and also my Mother's long rabbit coat.
A theatre company might appreciate them.
MIL, DMJ and Me at a family wedding in 1989Cousin Sally sitting behind in her mink coat
My Mother, Myrtle Mary, in the rabbit coat, January 1941 two weeks short of 32 and expecting my Brother
For those of you who love fabrics, the lining of the rabbit coat is in beautiful condition for over 70 years old; only a few little rust marks on the shoulders from wire coat hangers. I'm hanging on to the coat only because it was my Mother's.
Kitty and Myrtle would be chuckling!
22 comments:
I really enjoyed this furry post! I'm so glad you decided to use it.
Hi Alaine
It must be a diliemma knowing what to do...its not like you are going to be gadding about in them...It is surprising that have not been damaged over time...
My grandmother had a fur wrap with a frightening little foxy face at one end complete with a snappy wooden jaw. It used to terrify me from it's peg in the dark hallway where it lived...
Happy days
Well, one certainly can't wear them in public now without risk of having paint flung on them, or being tsk-tsked by PC folks. I think donating them to a theatrical group is a lovely idea. No play from the 40's or 50's would be complete without a fur or three!
Amazing condition of your mother's coat! She was a beautiful lady.
Love the photo of the wedding scene!
Willow, haha, thank you! It's not there now niggling me, 'will I or won't I?'.
Hi Delwyn, they're in beautiful condition and cost a pretty penny a few years back. I remember those fox face stoles; they scared me too!
Susan, yes, not at all acceptable to wear them now! I like that photo in the church but DMJ doesn't look too happy getting his photo taken!
Alanie, I'd probably hold on to the more sentimental pieces and donate the ones with faces to a theater as well! I love the pictures of your family...so classy!
hi alaine, i love the feel of fur - it's nice to sleep on - have you tried that? i see that you're reading "memoirs of a geisha". i absolutely loved that book and now i'm waiting for it to sink far enough into my memory to escape through its colander like holes so that i can read it again and get the same amazing journey all over again!!! have a lovely day. steven
Alaine - Must be difficult to know what to do - as no one (generally) would wear them now.
You and your mother are both so beautiful Alaine. Your DB is one lucky man!
I found it interesting that it is incorrect to wear furs in your part of the world... that is probably like here in Texas. No one needs a fur in Texas because the weather is rarely that cold or for a prolonged period of time.
Now if it were Canada or northern European countries it is probably more acceptable.
There are 4 furs hanging in my closet 3 of which belonged to the G-man's deceased wife and 1 is mine which I purchased almost 30 years ago in Glasgow, Scotland. I don't know what to do with these coats either.
This was a fun post... dressing up you doll in the fur... very entertaining photo!
Hello Tulsa and thank you! My Mother was a very elegant dresser and a wonderful seamstress; she set a fine example. Hope you had a relaxing weekend.
Steven, yes, the Auntie who gave me the doll had a beautiful thick fur bedspread and when we visited, Dad would carry me in there for a sleep before we drove home later. I still remember snuggling into it.
The book, well, yes, to tell the truth, I haven't got into it yet. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and loved the cover, so put it up before I started it; naughty. I'm so looking forward to getting into it but I'm wading through a biography of our famous Myer Emporium and while not gripping, it is fascinating because I recall a lot of the people in it and the demise of a lot of companies over the years.
Back to Geisha, the girl behind the counter said that her Mother had seen the picture and loved it. Can't wait...
Hello Bonnie and thank you (whispering: 'but that was twenty years ago, a lot of changes').
Yes, we couldn't wear one today but I love the little jackets that come just below the waist - perhaps I could wear them on the property, sitting around the bonfire in the winter!
Hi Lizzy, I completely understand why they'd still be wearing them in the Northern Hemisphere but they're not needed in sub-tropical Australia. And some of those little animals are extinct now, aren't they? For glamour!
Oh, the poor doll; I should make it an outfit. It doesn't normally sit there!
What beautiful old furs..reminds me of ones my great-grandmother wore in photos of old... Wearing fur now is somewhat "politically incorrect"...but they were of a fashion once-upon-a-time. Love the family photos, Alaine. You are right, a theatre group might love to have some of these for part of costumes. You have a treasure trove they'd love to pore over I'm sure. Thanks for sharing--a fun post! Happy week, my friend ((HUGS))
Tracy, I think I'll just give them to my daughter to work it out :,)
I hope you have a happy week too!
alaine - youve got to make time and read it. it's so sensory, sensual, magical, rich, it has a whole world captured inside its covers. an amazing real world. steven
Steven, I MUST finish this biography so that I can devote my time to Geisha. I'm longing to get into it. I watched a modern day documentary recently about the girls being prepared for this 'vocation' - they were called 'maiko'.
Hi Alaine,
It astonishes me that we allow ourslves to get so 'het up' about things supposedly non-PC! I can understand a ban on new furs but the ones that have been 'out there' for years, just ARE! I don't think the Russians are too worried once the snow sets in. But the theatre company is probably the best bet.
Derrick, like the old ivory, do you reckon?
I'll give them to my daughter to sell to the Russians on ebay :,) !!
Yeah, I can see your dilema. I don't think I would want a fur, either. Isn't it funny how fashion changes. It was probably a very important thing to your MIL.
Nancy, they were hugely important to MIL. Somebody else will love them again.
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