sometimes it happens in the most unexpected place.

[lynxette]

I have done similar...and the main problem is taking care not to have drinks spilt on oneself by others. Luckily no problems with anti's though.

[shelley and kevin]

Shelley and I have never had any negative comments of any kind while wearing our furs. I wear my Golden Island Fox, Raccoon or sheared Beaver all the time during the winter months. I have all sorts of people wanting to feel how soft the coats are. The owner of a restuarant that we usually go to just loved my Golden Island Fox coat and wanted to see Shelley's Platina Fox the next time we came in. We told her of the Furrier who does all of our work and had really good prices. I think that she may just go and check out his store.

As for what people think....I really don't care....I don't go around commenting about all the tatoos, piercings and the clothing that some of the younger people wear these days. It is a choice and I don't make the choices for them.

 

Kevin

[Joe]

Kevin, bravo!

 

I'm enjoying fur weather in New York even more now that the snows have come. While I haven't been wearing my black fox parka out due to the weather, the chilly air has been just the thing for a bit of temporary exposure indoors. I've got my black fox, a huge, full-length blue fox, and a couple rex rabbit jackets from Rome (one worn inside-out), plus my blue-fox stole/hood for the bedroom these days. Talk about La Dolce Vita. I'm dreading having to go back to the springlike weather in Europe next week!

 

Regarding negative comments...probably the worst I've ever had it was in December of '05 during the transit strike here in Manhattan, the weekend before Christmas. I was checking out of my hotel and couldn't get my car out of its parking garage way uptown due to the traffic disaster...so I decided to stay an additional night at a hotel downtown. This, of course, meant a $20 flat fare cab ride. What I didn't know, however, was that all the taxis were on a share basis...and I happened to be wearing my black fox parka. All my luggage (about 5 furs in hanging bags, one briefcase and a duffel) was in the trunk; when I shut the lid and looked in the cab for a place to throw my fur...there was someone else sitting on the other side of the passenger seat. Oh well, right? She wasn't giving me the dirty looks, so I rolled my fur up on my lap and we set off. Well, about half an hour later, after a handful of different passengers jumping in and out on either side of me and my fur (which may have looked to the layman like a gorilla suit on my lap)...a rather uptight, stick-thin blonde woman very tentatively takes the seat to my right. Talking on her cell phone most of the next twenty minutes, she barely acknowledged me the rest of our journey downtown...until she hung up the phone, shot me a look and announced, "Ahem. Did you KNOW...that your COAT is in violation of Animal Rights?". Her enunciation capitalized the last two words for her. I didn't know what to say. Wishing to avoid seriously ruining her evening and mine with a confrontation (or something from inside her bag spilled on my coat?), I started to shift positions, moving a bit further from her, and rolled my coat the other way with the fur-side in. I looked in every direction but hers, and managed a sarcastic "aha. mmm hmm.". Our proximity apparently gave her cause for admirable confidence. She continued, possibly trying to get the driver in on it, with something like "REALLY! I mean, oh my god, it's like there's like, a DEAD BODY, right there on his coat, like, can you believe that?". The drive, a big, middle-aged Black man, winked at me. I didn't know if this was a good or bad thing, however I felt safe in his cab. The woman tried to talk to the driver about her friend who wishes they would outlaw making clothing with anything that had a face. Three seconds later, we arrived at my destination. As the hotel bellman opened the door, the driver looked straight at me...then glanced down at the woman, now on the phone again, and rolled his eyes with a smile.

 

That's about as close as I've ever come to an anti, and I didn't even say a word. I knew that no matter what I would have said, that woman would not shut up, so I shut up in advance. It's over, and we both have moved on...although I must say she did look pretty damn cold that night.

 

ciao,

 

J.

[lynxette]

Joe, as you probably already know, there is not much one can do about a situation such as the one you faced, although I can almost guarantee that I would not have held my tongue, but have attempted to reason with her. Surprisingly enough, I think I have swayed some people that way by getting around the emoptionalism of their initial mindset, but obviously one never knows how it will turn out ahead of time. Just sorry to hear that you had to deal with it, and am happy to know that most of the time you get positive feedback. I know that if I saw you...or any other gentleman in a fur coat, my comments would be positively gushing with praise.