THE CHOICE OF FURS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18823, 11 March 1931, Page 8

THE CHOICE OF FURS

The distinguished traveller. Curie, has said that the zenith of feminine beauty is achieved when a lovely fair woman wears furs. AVhether one personally agrees , with this statement or not, the fact remains that furs form a perfect background to feminine charm; the plainest woman looks her best, while her lovelier sister's attractions are enhanced. In the primitive days, men and women wore furs, as an adequate protection against the cold, and also because lo'oms and the weaving of cloth were then unknown. Yet now, after several thousands of years, the most intricately fashioned cloths are our everyday wear, while furs are accounted luxurious and expensive. Indeed the growing scarcity of the rarer skins, is bringing into fashion the wearing of the humbler domestic

animals' skins; calf skin, pony skin, kid, and the übiquitous rabbit skin, are seen in many beautiful forms, and on many beautiful women.

Only a few years past, a fur coat was a hall mark of prosperity, if not actual wealth. However, since the Great War, women have been steadily increasing their dress expenditure, and nowadays, a fur coat is a practical necessity in every wardrobe, and comparatively few women are without them.

In the same way, heavy coats are lavishly fur trimmed, evening wraps are frequently fur lined and trimmed, and most tailored suits and frocks have their accompanying fur “choker” or stole.

The average woman possesses only one fur coat, so that she chooses the skins for hard wear and general utility. The more popular furs to-day are musquash, pesehaniky, marmot, squirrel, kid, and rabbit in many forms, such as electric seal, beaver coney or mock ermine. Really expensive furs like sable, miuk, ermine and chinchilla are rarely seen in this country. The close, flat furs are at present having a considerable vogue; Persian lamb, shaved lamb, calf and caracul are among the moßt popular.

These smooth and particularly pliable skins, are used in many cases, like cloth, and are as elaborately cut and stitched as any of the heavier coating materials. Capes, stoles, unusual collars, and tie-scarves are among the more common uses for flat furs, but ultra-smart Continental women have had suits, frocks and costumes made of caracul and shaved lamb and kid. While these fashions are not generally seen, it illustrates the many and varied uses to which pliable, flat furs can be put.

For stoles and chokers the most popular and attractive is undoubtedly the stone-marten, which goes so well with tweeds, velours or lighter fabrics. Foxes are more often seen in the red and brown tonings, though a silver fox skin is a thing of veritable beauty. Few furs are more lovely and luxuriant than white fox skins, which will soften and add charm to any face. At this season of the year, women who possess good furs and fur coats, should take advantage of the warm weather to have them renovated, recut or relined. The life of a fur is prolonged indefinitely through the attention and renovations of an expert furrier. Ballantynes wish to remind their customers that a trained staff of expert fur workers is maintained on their premises, and your furs will receive every attention and skilful handling.

A coat that is cut on oldfashioned lines’ can be remade, special care being taken to match the skins exactly, wherever new ones ure needed. The addition of a new collar and cuffs will often give a new lease of life to an old fur coat, and postpone your purchase of a new coat for several seasons.

Similarily, old-fashioned fur stoles, cut on out-of-date lines, can be remodelled and relined, and when finished by Ballantynes furriers, present the appearance of new furs.

When ordering new winter coats, be sure and pay a visit to Ballantynes show-room, to see the attractive array of fur cuffs and collars, in all the new season’s shapes, and in the smartest furs. Furs play such an important part in the dressing of to-day, and by her choice in furs is a woman’s taste judged. It is worth your while to buy good and beautiful skins, which will wear well and last well. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” —and this statement is as true of beautiful furs as of any other lovely thing that helps to give colour and interest to life.