Making that old Pelt Svelte again
Making that old Pelt Svelte again
Making that old Pelt Svelte again
You wear the jewelry that your grandmother left for sentiment of having something of hers next your skin and because you know she would be happy to see you wearing her trinkets.
So why let your grandmother's old fur coat go to waste?
Grandma's (or mom's) fur is probably ripped, dried out and seemingly beyond repair, but you'd be surprised what a furrer can do to restore the coat to its original luster and bring the style in the 21st century.
"Most people can't envision what can be done with an old fur, because all they see is the damage," says Lana, a master furrier. "There are all kinds of possibilities."
Attics and basements across America are full of old furs mink stoles in particular, because they were once so popular and people hang on to them for sentimental reasons.
Furs can be shortened, lengthened, transformed into vests, turned into lining for cloth coats and separated for use as trim on coats, jackets, jeans and boots. A full-length fur can become two jackets or a jacket and vest.
Minks are the most popular fur to remodel, because there are so many out there, they're durable, and they make the best fur linings. Fox makes nice collars, cuffs and other trims.
Weiss Furs Boutique recently refurbished and remodeled a sheaved-beaver jacket with badly damaged sleeves. Repairing and remodeling means taking the fur completely apart. Relubricating the dried leather hid is almost always a must, as is new lining.
"The worst thing that happens to most furs is that the leather dries out, because it hasn't been property stored" says Angelo Koustos, a master furrier.
The patch pockets on the sheared-beaver jacket were removed, the jacket was shortened, and interior pockets were added. Viola! Instantly up-to-date.
Lana also made a hooded vest of a 20-year-old black Persian lamb jacket.
Daurielle Horwitz owns the jacket-turned-vest. "I'm a vegetarian and I normally wouldn't buy a fur, but I like the idea of wearing something that's a part of history" she says. "It makes me feel better that someone already wore the coat, and I am recycling it."
One customer brought in a A-line coat that's actually a faux fur. The customer didn't want the shape of the coat changed, but she wanted it to look less old fashioned, so Lana added real mink collar and cuffs, which also make the coat a bit warmer.
By adding and manipulating hides, Lana converted a standard mink stole into a vest.
Stephanie Cervelloni owns an heirloom fur she's not sure what kind that was passed down from her grandmother to her mother and finally to her. She had the fur for a few years but never really wore it because it was too boxy. But she began to feel sentimental about the coat and had it restyled.
"They were able to use the original lining, which is 100 % silk, and I was really happy about that."
Stephanie's grandmother, whose name is Mildred Stephany, turned 100 and is living in a nursing home in upstate New York.
"I just wanted to have something of her," Stephanie says. "I'm going to visit her in January, and her memory is still good, so she'll know I'm wearing her coat. I feel very honored that I have it."
Benefits Of Using Skin Medica TNS Essential Serum ORC to Live By Pergolas – The Centerpiece of Your Backyard Saved Up for a Car? Now Save Up on Gasoline Lets Play 20 Questions Do Not Let Your Photos Blur How to Know if You Are a Good Mini Tummy Tuck Candidate Vintage Fur The Ultimate In LED Growing Lights Selling A Timeshare - How Would You Like To Sell Your Timeshare Fast Without Paying Fees? Quick 10 Fur Do's Keep on pushin' with pedal pushers Cloud Computing Brings The Power To You