Fur coats and hats made of fur have been in demand at all times. These wardrobe items not only warm their owners, but also emphasize their status.
Today, clothing is increasingly being made from faux fur. This material is more affordable and has an external resemblance to natural fur. Sometimes unscrupulous sellers take advantage of this. Let's look at how to distinguish a natural Arctic fox from a fake in more detail...
How can you identify a real mink coat?
The main difference is the very soft pile of rabbit fur. It is also worth paying attention to the color; in a rabbit it is not uniform and does not have the uniform shine that mink has. If you pluck a mink coat, there will be no hair left in your hands, while a rabbit leaves behind lint of undercoat; Beaver.
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What types of Arctic fox counterfeits are there?
Most often, expensive fur is counterfeited. They are trying to replace it with cheaper skins:
- Sometimes they try to pass off the fur of one animal as another. The most common fake is mink. After simple manipulations, the fur of a rabbit or arctic fox takes on a look similar to mink;
- Fur pelts are sorted before they go into production. The highest quality and most expensive ones are used to manufacture luxury products.
Unscrupulous manufacturers are trying to improve the appearance of rejected fur and make it look like it is of high quality. In this case, the fur will be natural, but the cost of the product will be much higher.
It is almost impossible to replace the arctic fox with the fur of another animal, since it has a fairly long and fluffy pile. Therefore, it is replaced with synthetic materials. Faux fur is preferred by animal rights activists, and such products are also purchased by those who cannot afford a natural fur coat.
Flaws
Arctic fox fur has a number of disadvantages that women who decide to buy a luxurious outfit will have to put up with:
- The product is made from natural bristles and does not tolerate friction. Therefore, wearing bags on the shoulder, rigid belts, and various brooches is not recommended.
- Fur requires good care. Upon returning home, the item should be hung on a hanger with wide hangers. If the outfit gets wet, then it should be dried at room temperature, protecting it from heating devices: radiators, heaters, etc.
- Periodically you will have to comb your fur coat with a brush specially designed for this purpose.
- The product needs protection from insects. You cannot treat it with aerosols, or use naphthalene. Its smell will be absorbed into the pile, making it difficult to get rid of the scent.
- Before sending an item for storage, it must be cleaned. It’s better not to do this on your own. To avoid ruining your favorite outfit, you should take it to the dry cleaner.
- Short women and those who are overweight will find it difficult to choose a suitable arctic fox outfit. The fact is that things made from polar fox are quite voluminous; when choosing, you need to take this into account.
Such fur coats look richer than many fur products. But before buying the model you like, you need to weigh all the pros and cons so as not to be disappointed in your choice.
The importance of personal preferences
The selection of accessories for a fur coat is usually based on your usual clothing preferences. Depending on which style prevails in a woman, the fur coat itself is purchased.
For a lover of skirts and dresses, the style of the fur coat will be as follows: “floor-length”. For trouser lovers, it is recommended to choose an astrakhan fur coat.
When deciding which fur coat is best to choose, you should not rely solely on fashion trends. This is wrong, first of all, because a fur coat is purchased for more than one year.
Moreover, the volume and quality of the product “speak” for themselves: whether the fur coat will look new even after five years of wear. Accordingly, you need to decide whether it will, as they say, suit its owner.
For a person who has never bought a fur coat, one simple piece of advice from experts will be useful. The item that a potential buyer chooses must pass the following simple test.
A woman who chooses a model she likes just needs to put it on, raise and lower her arms, walk... If the mink product does not create a feeling of discomfort, then she has “found” her buyer!
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The extraction of skins is now carried out mainly by breeding animals in cages on farms. Since arctic foxes living in nature are listed in both the Russian and international Red Books, and hunting, especially of their blue subspecies, is prohibited.
Arctic fox fur: pros and cons
In addition to its incredible beauty, this fur has the following advantages:
- strength. One has only to remember what was said above about the number of seasons of operation of such products;
- ease of coloring. In other words, if the question arises of how to dye arctic fox fur in a particular shade, then you need to keep in mind that it is easily malleable even for creative dyeing;
- it is so dense that it requires almost no manipulation of repairs, and if restoration is required, it will be a minor restoration in terms of the volume of work.
As for the disadvantage, perhaps the only one is the high cost. But such an acquisition is completely justified, since, for example, a jacket made from arctic fox fur will last much longer than one made from marten fur of comparable price.
What fur coats are in fashion now: review of styles
Fashionable women's fur coats fall-winter 2020-2021 can be both long and short. The main requirement for products is the absence of excessive decoration. The trend is simple models without additional decorations in the form of buttons or inserts made of other materials (leather, knitwear, suede).
Two buttons instead of one “rich”
The first model that is unconditionally outdated is a fur coat with a large button on the neck. Previously, it was considered the main decoration, so when choosing a product, many looked for the option with the most noticeable, shiny and sparkling button. And if it wasn’t there, they had to buy it separately and sew it into the very middle.
Today, the trend is regular double-breasted or single-breasted models.
Fur coats with zippers are only short
Fur coats have always been considered elegant outerwear, so the zipper trend quickly lost its relevance, because with it the charm disappeared. A long fur coat with a zipper stood on par with jackets and parkas, and this was not at all the effect that was expected from it. Therefore, now lightning is present only on shortened models that resemble sheepskin coats.
With extended sleeves instead of 3/4
Fur coats with short sleeves were in trend 3-4 years ago. Back then they were worn with long gloves, creating elegant and sophisticated looks. A lot has changed since then. Today, products with long sleeves are considered relevant. According to stylists, the hands should be half covered, and long gloves should be worn over the sleeves, creating a “worker’s look.”
Choose a regular collar rather than a contrasting one
Another trend of past years is a fur coat with a contrasting collar. Many women chose, for example, a black product with brown fur on the collar or white. Today, printed fur coats are made in the same style, without dividing the item into components.
Adding an accent to the waist
Fur coats of past years, as a rule, had a straight silhouette. Then fashion experts suggested styling them with a wide belt. Today, many products are initially produced with a belt, since the main winter trend among artificial fur coats is the “robe” model.
We do not take with leather inserts
Leather inserts or sleeves made of this material have lost their relevance. Today, fashionable women's fur coats are made from one material, combining only colors.
Smooth instead of "caterpillar"
A caterpillar fur coat or vest, which every second woman had in her wardrobe 5 years ago, is the most important anti-trend of the season. By the way, this is another reason not to chase hot new products, but to choose classic models that do not go out of fashion and continue to be relevant for many years.
P-line instead of A-line
This year, the poncho returned to the catwalks, but this does not apply to fur products. We don’t get fur coats with wide sleeves that resemble ponchos from the mezzanines. We choose simple U-silhouette products that do not hug the figure too much. If desired, we complement them with a belt with a simple buckle of medium width.
Popular models
At the peak of popularity are products with an A-shaped silhouette with wide sleeves, ponchos, and combined options that combine several textures. The cross cut never goes out of fashion, and the straight cut is also very popular. Young people prefer fur coats with a hood and a belt. Such silhouettes fit perfectly into an everyday look. The trapezoid and half-trapezoid styles look elegant.
Combined
Designers invite fashionistas to dress up in stylish combined fur coats. Such products have a short pile and a fox finish. The luxurious fur trim makes the fur coat elegant. Usually, long pile is used to trim the hood, pockets, and sleeves. There are a lot of interesting options. Looking at the photo, it becomes clear that combined outfits look no worse than one-piece fur coats from an arctic fox.
Cross section
The cross section is popular with young girls and adult women. Pieces of fur are sewn into them in horizontal stripes of equal thickness. Some designers create interesting designs by placing fur blanks diagonally. In the photo, polar fox fur coats look very stylish.
With belt
Models with a belt look interesting, allowing girls to emphasize the waistline, giving the image femininity, lightness, and romanticism. A long item with a leather belt will create a harmonious look for going out. In such a fur coat, a woman will look elegant and majestic.
Hooded
An arctic fox fur coat with a hood is the choice of women who do not recognize hats. The cost of such models is higher than those that do not have this convenient addition. But models with a hood look stylish, youthful and allow you not to rack your brains about which hat to choose.
Flared
A black or white fur coat in a flared style looks royal. Models add femininity and coquetry to the image. White options are perfect for festive events, black ones will fit into an everyday look.
Straight
The straight black arctic fox coat is a timeless classic that is always popular. This item allows you to adjust your figure and gives you a slim, chic look. The model fits well into an everyday look and can be considered by overweight ladies. Of course, long pile adds volume, but the straight silhouette visually elongates the figure, so it’s worth trying on such a model.
Signs of a low-quality item
Signs that will tell you that you are holding a low-quality fur coat in your hands:
- creases, bald spots on fur;
- shedding fur;
- threads sticking out of the seams;
- rough and uneven skin of the product;
- unevenly colored fur;
- lining tightly sewn to the fur coat;
- no tags or labels.
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Characteristics of fur from different breeds of rabbits
The short fur of Rex rabbits , with its density, has almost the same length of hairs, both guide and guard and down, which gives a significant advantage over the fur of other breeds, where the guard and guide hairs are longer, so the fur wears out faster.
When using products made from this fur, the softness and brightness of the products remains much longer than those made from other types of rabbit fur.
The fur of the Risen rabbit is very valuable because of its color, which is not only dark gray, like ordinary rabbits, but also sand, blue, agouti and black.
Artificial or natural?
The chemical industry does not stand still, and it is often difficult to determine whether the fur in front of you is artificial or natural. However, there are still differences:
- Natural fur shines brighter, is softer to the touch, lighter in weight, has a richer color and thicker pile.
- When deformed (twisted, compressed), natural leather quickly returns to its original shape.
- Try to lift products of artificial and natural origin that are approximately the same in style. The difference in weight will be immediately noticeable - animal fur is much lighter.
- There is another way to identify faux fur, but it is somewhat risky: you need to pull out a few hairs from some inconspicuous place on the product and set them on fire. Faux fur will give off a characteristic smell of burnt plastic, melt and, as it cools, harden. Natural fur will leave the smell of burnt hair and crumble into ash. Unfortunately, sellers are not very happy with such experiments.
- A safer method of determination for the buyer and the product is to part the pile and carefully examine the base. If you notice a fabric that looks a little like knitwear, it’s faux fur. The natural one grows in small bunches, you can easily see them.
But even the last two tests do not provide a complete guarantee. The most reliable way is to carefully read the label on the product. The manufacturer, who has nothing to hide, must indicate from what raw materials the fur coat is made. Of course, you can only trust labels in trusted stores. And you will have to pay more for calm nerves.
How does the fur of different animals differ?
Visually it is not difficult to determine the difference, for example, between an arctic fox and astrakhan fur. But what if the products look similar to the eye, especially to a non-specialist? Carefully study the hairs: they differ not only in color, but also in length, thickness and tactile sensations.
- How to recognize a fur coat from a mink - the fur is elastic, all the hairs are the same length, fit tightly to the flesh, the hairs are laid “hair to hair”, the overall length of the fur is small. The shiny and smooth surface of the fur and the presence of thick undercoat mean good dressing and use of “winter” fur. Such a product can please the owner for ten years.
- The rabbit has very pleasant, soft-to-touch fur. The term “gentle” suits it well. A rabbit fur coat is cheaper than others, sometimes significantly. But it will not serve more than a couple of seasons.
- Mouton is a sheepskin treated in a special way. Thanks to processing, a product made from this fur can last up to ten years without losing its appearance, is not afraid of moisture and retains heat well. You can recognize a fur coat made from a mouton by its evenly trimmed, dense, well-smoothed, rather short fur. This material allows you to experiment very boldly with coloring. As a rule, mouton products are not very expensive, but the models can be very impressive.
- The fur of the black and brown fox is beautiful and wears very well. The hair of a silver fox is easy to identify - it is colored in three colors that fade into each other. Gray at the base fades to a white middle and black tip. This is a very valuable fur, it is voluminous and soft, with a thick undercoat.
- The not very common fur of the fox dog can be recognized by its two-tone color. It looks similar to the silver fox, but is much cheaper. Unscrupulous sellers sometimes pass off a fox dog as a silver fox (they are distant relatives).
- Nutria fur should not be confused with the more expensive beaver. They look a little similar in appearance, but the beaver is much fluffier, while the nutria has almost no undercoat. Beaver fur has a bright shine and elasticity.
Modern technologies for tanning hides and processing natural fur make it possible to achieve a very impressive appearance of fur products.
Some types of cheap fur are sometimes subjected to such processing as dyeing, tinting, cutting, trimming, after which the fur becomes similar to more expensive fur, imitating its appearance. For example, the fur of a rabbit, marmot or honor is sometimes passed off as natural mink.
In this article we will tell you how to distinguish natural mink fur from imitation and make sure of its quality.
Marmot.
A marmot, well-dressed and dyed to match the mink's natural dark brown fur, can indeed be mistaken for a mink at first glance. But if you pay a little more attention to it, you will notice quite obvious signs of a fake:
- The length and thickness of the guard hairs of the marmot are not the same - this is noticeable if you stroke it against the grain. Mink has a uniform spine over the entire surface of the skin.
- This same technique will reveal that the groundhog's fur becomes shaggy and does not return to its original state. Mink fur is more flexible and is practically unaffected by creasing.
- A marmot painted to resemble mink will have a bluish-violet tint, which is noticeable in bright light, while dark natural mink always has a brown tint and an even silky sheen.
Rabbit.
Most often, a sheared rabbit is passed off as a plucked or sheared mink, taking advantage of the similarity between the mink's underfur and the rabbit's fur. The rabbit is almost devoid of underfur, but if you cut it, it will look like a mink.
Mink underfur is elastic and does not wrinkle, while thin, damage-prone rabbit fur is much thinner and softer: it is easy to wrinkle, after getting wet it loses its appearance, and the skins quickly “bald” during wear.
Honorik.
This is a close “relative” of the mink - an animal obtained by crossing a mink and a ferret. Currently, it is bred in few places, but it is still worth being able to distinguish honorik fur from mink:
- If a fur coat is made from whole honorik skins, you will be struck by their large size, because honorik is noticeably larger than mink.
- The color of the Honorik's fur is distinguished by a large difference in the shades of light underfur and dark awn. The color of the mink underfur is slightly lighter than the outer fur or has the same color.
Have you come to choose and buy a natural mink fur coat? Here are some tips on what to look for when assessing its quality:
- Look at the fur.
Natural mink fur has a uniform silky sheen. The guard hairs are of equal length, fluffy, and do not form icicles. - Spread the underfur:
it should be equally dense, and the inner skin (skin) underneath should be light, unless the fur coat is declared as dyed. - Stroke the fur with your palm
along the fur and against the fur. Natural mink is silky to the touch, the spine does not prick, and the fur pressed against the fur quickly returns to its original appearance. - Shake your fur coat.
The guard fur should not fall off, and the flesh should not crunch.
The most reliable way to choose high-quality natural mink is to make a purchase in a store that has a long-standing reputation as a reliable seller of high-quality mink coats. You can always contact the administration of such a store directly regarding assortment and quality issues!
also draws your attention to the control identification marks with electronic chips that are included with each fur coat sold under the Fur Academy brand. The chips contain comprehensive information about the origin of the fur coat that you are going to buy, which means they guarantee factory production and high quality of the product.
A real high-quality fur coat is a woman’s pride. A real fur coat is evidence of her wealth, both feminine and material. Finally, a real fur coat will never allow you to freeze even in the most severe cold.
But how to choose it - a real fur coat? How not to make a mistake by purchasing a poor fake instead of real fur? Remember! Our selection of important recommendations will help you:
Tip #1. What should you pay attention to first?
The best way to start choosing is by touch. Touch the fur, remember it with your hands. If it's nice and soft, dry and smooth, that's what you need!
To make sure of the strength of the future shower coat and its durability (after all, a fur coat is not bought for one season!), tug on the wool. They must “sit” to death! High-quality wool will not come out if you rub the fur coat with a cloth. Pay special attention to this moment - you don’t want to walk around in the middle of winter in a bald fur coat!
Check the flesh - this is the back side of the skins. To do this you will have to look under the lining. Undyed fur is white, and a yellowish tint indicates that the fur is old. In addition, good “fresh” fur shines and shimmers in the light, unlike dull, low-quality fur.
Ignore the smiles of the seller - continue to study your future purchase. You can blow on the fur and make sure that all the fibers straighten out immediately, or squeeze it in your hand and sharply release it - the result should be the same.
A good fur coat does not smell. This is an axiom. Any foreign smell is a reason to be wary.
The bright color of the fur coat you like is not a guarantee that the new thing will remain as bright in the future. If you really want to dress up in a fashionable green or scarlet fur coat, rub it with the same white piece of cloth. If the fabric is not dyed, there is hope that the color of the fur coat will not change.
Tip #2. Where to buy a fur coat?
The answer is simple and completely unambiguous - in a specialized store or a reputable fur salon that has been operating for several years. The warranty period in the case of a fur coat lasts almost a whole year. Why refuse the opportunity to exchange low-quality goods during this period? If you decide to buy a fur coat at the market, no one will exchange it for you. And he won’t return the money!
Tip #3. Which model should you choose?
In addition to fashion, there is also such a thing as convenience. For example, if you plan to walk in a new fur coat with a small child in a stroller, you will need a long and very warm new coat made from beaver, male mink, fox or arctic fox. For ladies who are constantly driving, a short fur coat would be a good option - it does not interfere with driving. A fur jacket made from short-haired mink or otter fur is also suitable.
Tip #4. Should I buy a coat made of dyed fur?
It happens that a fur coat is dyed for only one purpose - to disguise defects in the workmanship. In such cases, a dark color is usually used. Of course, you shouldn’t buy such a fur coat.
However, there are product categories that simply need to be painted. For example, this includes a fur coat made from the skins of wild nutria, which are not very attractive in color and need to be refined.
Don’t forget that fur coats in bright colors are now in fashion, which can only be achieved through dyeing.
Modern technologies make it possible to achieve high-quality coloring, therefore, when buying a product from a reliable store, you should not worry about the durability of the bright color.
Tip #5. Trader secrets: how to expose a rabbit?
It's unpleasant to realize that you bought a fake. At the same time, the fur may be natural, but not at all what you expected, and most importantly - cheaper. For example, a rabbit often has to “play” the role of a mink or chinchilla. It’s not difficult to expose him, you just need to know a couple of secrets.
A real mink has rough fur, while a rabbit has very soft fur.
A real chinchilla is cool to the touch. If you are not too lazy to study the undersides of the skins, you will be convinced that chinchilla skins reach a length of only 20-25 cm, while rabbit skins are longer - up to 70 cm.
Instead of a mink, they may give you a marmot. Cheap Ukrainian mink is often passed off by sellers as more expensive Canadian mink. Signs by which you recognize a fake:
The marmot's fur is slightly prickly, its hairs are of different lengths - unlike mink.
The Canadian mink is very fluffy, and the skins of its Ukrainian “sister” have rather scanty down.
To avoid buying a relatively inexpensive fox fur coat instead of a silver fox, just count the number of colors in the fur. Each silver fox fur starts at the base with a gray color that fades to white, ending in black. Foxdog is two-colored.
A raccoon and a raccoon dog are basically related, but that's not enough to warrant paying the same amount of money for them. The raccoon is noticeably more expensive because its fur is warmer due to the comparative rigidity of the spine and down. The fur of a raccoon dog is softer, but retains heat less well.
For the warmest beaver coat, the seller can sell dyed nutria, which has poorer fur, not so thick and dense.
Tip #6. A few more tricks
Can you easily look behind the lining? This means that the fur coat is of high quality - the manufacturer does not consider it necessary to hide anything from the buyer. In a company store, it’s not a sin to ask the seller to slightly rip the lining - this is the only way you can be sure of the quality of the seams.
A fur coat without flesh (the back side of the skin) is not a fur coat. In any case, it has no right to be called a natural fur coat. Well-made flesh, no matter how you shake it, will not creak or crunch. The most she can make is a quiet, delicate rustle.
Don’t be content with just looking at the quality certificate - check its data with the information indicated on the label - country of origin and type of fur.
If you need the warmest fur coat, choose fox, beaver, sable or arctic fox. In second place are astrakhan fur and goat, and in third place are mink and chinchilla.
If the main thing for you is for your fur coat to last longer, give preference to an otter or a brown bear. They are followed by mink, sable, beaver and astrakhan fur. Next are the arctic fox, the fox and the sheepskin, and the rabbit, the marmot and the chinchilla close the pedestal. A properly chosen fur coat will give you self-confidence and save you from frost in winter.
Not only beginners, but also those who have more than once become the proud owner of a luxurious product think about how to check the quality of mink fur on a fur coat. The thing is that modern technologies do not stand still, which means that the number of all kinds of tricks in the fur industry is growing every year. To add a truly elegant and natural mink coat to your wardrobe, pay attention to the characteristics listed above.