Written by Nicole Elsasser

Among my family’s various heirlooms is a bulky, floor-length and pristinely white wolf fur coat. This coat was an engagement gift from my father to my mother and is so large that it is most likely made up of skin from no less than three wolves. This coat has sat unworn in its protective hanging for most of my life.
The fur coat, which probably seemed like a great idea to my father in 1987, quickly went out of vogue in the early 90’s when real fur became terribly controversial and so-not-PC, forcing my mother to hang it up in a closet and quickly forget it was there. This coat continues to be what comes to mind first when I think of fur; warm, soft, impossibly glamorous, yet, hidden guiltily and worn only by a six-year-old while playing dress-up in her room. As a child, I would pull it out, drape it over my shoulders, and hope that someday it would be socially acceptable for me to wear this poor, forgotten coat out into the world.
As an adult, I still associate a certain nostalgic glamour with fur, yet I continue to find myself uncomfortable with the idea of wearing that first wolf fur coat. I can’t help but struggle with the idea of wearing the skin of three majestic wolves (not to mention such an unflattering coat). But, if there was any time for the forgotten furs of the world to come out of hiding and see the light once more, it is now.
Combing through look books and photos from recent fashion runway shows, one fact is impossible to ignore: fur is back whether you like it or not.
And I, for one, am delighted. The wolf coat is not a sartorial option for me personally, but this stems from my true love and respect for the wolf as an animal. As I have been considering furs more and more, I realized that there are furs that I am comfortable wearing. I would consider rabbit, mink coyote and raccoon because these animals are abundant in this world, and in the case of rabbit, are used for meat as well as fur. I would never consider monkey, wolf, fox and leopard because the opposite is true of these animals. You may call this ethical cherry-picking. And I wouldn’t disagree with you. This is how I have chosen to make my decision about what I am comfortable wearing, others may take a different approach.
I do have a few pieces of advice, if you, like myself, wish to wear fur but need a little help feeling comfortable with the idea after years of hearing about un-expecting fur wearers being covered in red paint by PETA.
Firstly, consider the following: if you eat meat or wear leather, then you are with animals dying. Coming to terms with this realization is the first step to being a happy fur-wearer. The second step, if you are like me, is deciding which animals you are comfortable wearing the skin of. When making this decision, I generally consider their standings population-wise, their other uses, and my feelings for them generally.
Secondly, buy your fur pieces vintage. Most of the demand for fur of late is being met by second or third hand coats, vests, and collars abandoned long ago and now stocked by vintage boutiques and consignment stores. By buying fur from a vintage retailer, you are merely ensuring that older coats are worn rather than thrown away, with no additional animals being used.
Lastly, if you are still uncomfortable with the idea of wearing fur, but like the look of it, faux fur has improved in quality by huge leaps and bounds in the last few years. This means that the days of weird textured, off-coloured faux fur are behind us and the desired look can be achieved with no harm to animals.
So with that said, go forth and be warm, on-trend, and be totally comfortable with your love of fur.

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