SO I own 3 fur coats.

‘cue the backlash’

Let me start by saying that they are all vintage (50+ years) and all handed down from my grandmother and great aunt. I DID NOT purchase new fur. These are heirlooms! BUT they also keep me warm when walking the frigid, wind tunneled streets of New York City in January. For those of you who don’t know, it gets REALLY cold here. Like bone-chilling cold.

Now that you don’t hate me for having fur coats…

A seam on one of the coats is ripping so I took it to my ‘fur guy’ last night. He is this older polish man (let’s call him Joe), with a heavy accent and kind heart, and he is the very best. My first experience with him was a few years back, when the collar to my Aunt’s 65 year old coat was deteriorating. I was so nervous to take this coat anywhere, even to wear it out for fear of something happening, but I swallowed my fear and went to get it fixed.

The vague google directions led me to this random wholesale store somewhere in the Garment district. Upon entering this room filled with tacky evening gowns (like many other stores in that area), I inquired where to go. When the owner said “the basement”, my 23 year old self realized I could be walking into a potentially very bad situation. Ignoring all my better instincts, I descended the steps into the basement, which was filled floor to ceiling with fur coats. There was not a surface that was clear save for the 1 foot wide walking path through the organized chaos. I was greeted by Joe, who immediately ushered me into his work-space.

He could tell I was nervous, but he took the coat from my arms and opened it to assess the damage. The rip was at the collar neckline, so in order to really see the problem, he had to take out the lining. You can imagine my panic as his assistant took a scissors to the lining, embroidered with my aunt’s name (a common detail of the time). As she peeled the fabric away to expose the inside hide, a 65-year old pattern was revealed.

~For your reference, when working with leather or fur, one must trace the paper pattern directly onto the hide. If you pin into leather, the hole will be forever visible.~

I gasped in awe at the markings inside the coat. I couldn’t believe that this has not been viewed in over 60 years when this coat was originally constructed. That’s a fashion designer’s treasure. I felt closer than ever to the woman who bought this coat, and wished I could glimpse what her like was like back in 1953. I often wonder if I was born in the wrong era.

Joe assessed the damage and decided it was easily fixed. He promised it would be good as new in a few days.

As he walked me out of the cluttered room, he paused to grab a fluffy white stole from a pile.

“Come.” he said, and motioned me to the floor length mirror. He draped the stole over my shoulders, looked me in the eyes and said “I will make you one for your wedding. You will be beautiful.”

I was floored by his kindness and thinking how perfectly this fit with my 1950’s daydream. This is not something that often happens in the present time.

I turned to him and replied, “it won’t be for a long, long time, but I look forward to it.”

There are vintage gems lurking in every corner of this city. You just have to dig to find them, but when you do, you discover a piece of history.

XOXO J