Vintage Fur: Back at Fashion Weeks

Vintage fur is back at the fashion weeks, and on the people who go to them. I couldn’t be more pleased. A mink stole or a full fox cape comes from a time when luxury meant more than a label.

Gracie Opulanza in a pale pink lamb fur hood over a red coat

I wore a vintage mink hat for my drive in a Bentley Bentayga EWB. I found it in Andorra, and the pale pink lamb fur hood in the first photograph too.

Gracie Opulanza in a mink hat and red skirt beside a brown Bentley Bentayga EWB, with a bridge in the distance

Who is wearing it

Alexa Chung turned heads at the British Fashion Awards in vintage fur. Jennifer Lopez has been seen in New York in a fur coat that could have come straight from a 1950s Hollywood set, though I don’t know that hers is vintage.

Woman in a fur hat and grey scarf choosing boots at a street market, in cream knitted leg warmers and tan suede boots

Why vintage fur works today

In a world of fast fashion, a vintage fur was made to last, and it has. Somebody looked after it for decades before it reached you.

It is also easy to wear. A cropped fur jacket over jeans and a T-shirt changes the whole outfit. A full-length coat needs nothing else.

A smiling woman in a white fur hat and gilet with jewelled glasses, beside gilt-framed watercolours

A woman in a pink beret and long brown mink coat looking over goods on a stone ledge, beside a weathered wooden door

The ethics of vintage fur

Many people won’t wear fur, for ethical reasons. Vintage fur is a different question. The coat already exists. Buying it supports no fur farm, and it saves a piece that would otherwise gather dust in an attic. It is recycling.

For me, vintage fur is better for the planet than faux fur.

Tips for buying vintage fur

Feel it. Run your hands along the fur. It should be soft and plush, not brittle or dry.
Check the lining. Look for wear and tear, and always look for moth damage.
Smell it. There is no shame in that. Nothing ruins a fur like the smell of mildew.
Know your furs. Mink is the classic. Fox is the dramatic one. Chinchilla feels like a cloud. Choose the one that suits your personality.
Get the fit right. Too large and the coat wears you. Too tight and you can’t move. A good tailor can work wonders.

Woman in a black coat, fur hat and knitted leg warmers bending to pick out boots at an outdoor stall

Street market with tables of leather boots and rails of coats, a woman in a fur hat and scarf among them

Styling vintage fur

A cropped mink jacket with leather trousers. A full-length coat over an evening dress. A stole over a tailored blazer, or a cape with a fur trim.

Gold jewellery and fur go well together: statement earrings or a bold necklace. But go carefully. Too much and it tips from chic to gaudy.

Shoes can make or break the look. Heels work, and so does a well-polished boot.

Gracie Opulanza photographed in a gilded mirror in a black fur hat and red coat, with a patterned handbag over her arm

Gracie Opulanza in a red cape and black hat in a shop, beside a Christmas tree and toy nutcrackers

Vintage fur’s place in modern fashion

It is not only the runways. On the street, fur jackets are being worn with trainers, and the fur stole is back on Instagram. In a world full of synthetic fabrics, vintage fur reminds you what a garment can feel like in the hand.

Alexa Chung in a long dark fur coat and black sequinned dress, with a red bag, against a red backdrop

The future of vintage fur

Will vintage fur stay in fashion? I reckon so. It is luxury that has already been made.

Two women in a shop doorway, one in a pale green fur hat and jacket with a green sequinned skirt, the other in a red cape

Angelina Jolie at the Venice Film Festival in a pale fur stole over a blush satin dress, with photographers behind

To those still unsure, I say this: try one on. Feel the warmth and the weight of a coat that had a life before you.