Fluffy Fur Coats For Everyone
With another Arctic cold blast hitting across the country it’s time to break out the warmest and most fashionable of winter outerwear, the fluffy fur coat.
Once upon a time, imposing volumes of fur were de rigueur to beat the rash winter months, creating iconic silhouettes in the process. Every few decades, the wheels of fashion reintroduce shapes, silhouettes and styles from decades past with new and innovative twists. In fur, one of the most iconic is the raccoon “great” coat, this eponymous icon of 1920’s Americana.
Couple wearing Raccoon coats with Cadillac, taken on West 127th Street, Harlem, New York. 1932. Photo by James Vanderzee
Ivy league standard: the raccoon coat
Singer Eric Clapton made the rounds around the Holidays draped in full fur.
This men’s raccoon coat reads American and sharp while at the same time being associated with daily fashion use and, of course, attendance at football games and other fall/winter sporting events. This coat is not only imposing visually in its elegant stature, its construction is developed to cover the body against all elements including snow and frigid winds. The traditional “sportswear” coat often came with reversible cuffs to cover gloved hands, large collars to protect the ears and face, etc.
1920s advertisement celebrating the functionality of the great raccoon coat
The ubiquitous 1920s fur coat: His & Hers
Sports Fan Must Have – 1920s advertisement celebrating the functionality of the great raccoon coat
Once synonymous with Ivy League elegance (and swagger), this cocoon-like coat with its voluminous stature returns repeatedly in the post-WWII nostalgia years and, as witnessed in the current fall/winter collections, is once again a key fashion trend with current womenswear fur designs. Whereas some ladies are currently hitting online sources such as Etsy and eBay to snatch vintage versions, designers are embracing the look in a myriad of fur types ranging from fox to Asiatic raccoon to Mongolian lamb.
1950s editorial lauding the return of the classic raccoon coat in fashion.
Vintage Magic – 1920s Jazz Age Ivy League Raccoon coat (Etsy)
1950s Raccoon coat revival by the elite collegiate set (Life Magazine)
BCBG – Fall 2014 – Winter 2015
Ralph Lauren – Fall 2014- Winter 2015
Marni – Fall 2014 – Winter 2015
There is something visually fresh about a large “fluffy” coat worn over jeans or any other democratized Streetwear staple. Fur is a wonderful fashion medium that should be enjoyed to its fullest. Nothing rings more true TODAY than being comfortable with one’s personal style.
Francesco Scognamiglio – Fall 2014 – Winter 2015
Kate Moss and daughter out for stroll
Marni – Fall 2014-Winter 2015
Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection – Fendi Mongolian Lamb jacket with petit-gris
Dennis Basso – Fall 2014 – Winter 2015
Sonia Rykiel- Fall 2014- Winter 2015
Hoping you will be wrapping yourself in fur to beat the cold………
