Archive of 2022–2023: Cool winter outfit in style of the Edwardian Era with real vintage mink fur duo: toque hat & stole neckpiece

On March 27, 2023, my vintage blog turned 1 year old. Of course, I cannot boast of a million subscribers and a million publications, like many. Maybe because I don’t try to adapt to everyone, as many bloggers do, publishing dozens of copy-pastes of other people’s articles a day on hackneyed topics like cryptocurrency and programming. 

The topics of my blog are specific and dedicated to what I like first of all - vintage, vintage fashion, fashion history, timeless beauty, rejection of modern consumption and protection of the planet. And I write articles myself and illustrate them with photographs of myself.

But still, over the past year, I've managed to earn over 2700 subscribers on the Medium platform by publishing 57 articles.

You can’t force yourself to constantly publish something on the blog (unless you are a bot), because in addition to this virtual space so beloved by modern inhabitants of the planet, there is a real world, with its own problems, illnesses, sorrows, work, household chores, creativity. Therefore, no matter how hard I tried to publish at least once a week, there were delays in publications for up to a month.

Separately, I would like to express my gratitude to the author of the Medium platform - Patricia Hamlett, who for a long time remains my faithful reader and supports me and my work with her interesting and always encouraging comments. As well as Tatiana Silowska, Dmitry Davydov and others.

What do I want to please you again?
New outfit in the style of the Edwardian Era (1901-1910).

I paired a fitted mohair jacket and a wool long skirt with a vintage mink fur duo of toque hat and stole neckpiece and an exotic bag from Bali.

I bought the last one in a secondhand store many years ago, where it was sold as an exclusive. If you look at the present bags of this company, it is now called “Novi Sudiono Shop”. On the label of my bag it has hold its earlier name “Novie Sudiono Atelier”, and you can easily agree that this is really exclusive. The current prices for their new bags start from a $300 and go up to $1500! However, my one cost me about $5. Very nice, isn't it?

Regarding real fur and my wearing it. Unlike most sustainable clothing advocates, I don't think it's unethical to wear vintage fur. Just imagine, many years ago they killed a pile of animals for the sake of fur, and now someone thinks that you need to take and throw away or even destroy this fur. That is, to admit that these animals were killed in vain! Complete nonsense. In my opinion, it will be a tribute to the memory of these animals, to wear this fur, take care of it and make it last for many decades and even be passed down from generation to generation. 

And it’s also worth finally stopping lying, arguing that the synthetic muck from which modern pseudo eco-friendly fur is made is ethical and good for the environment.

Actually it's not. Producing this synthetic rubbish kills a lot of animals, poisons air and water, and the planet is relentlessly polluted, closer and closer to its end.

No, only the fur that scientists grow in test tubes and which will be completely similar to what grows on animals will become environmentally friendly. The rest is all poison and deceit.

It is possible that the faux fur that was made in the 1930s and 1940s from soy, milk and other similar natural substances was indeed environmentally friendly and ethical. 

After all, it did not pollute anything, being made of natural materials and did not kill anyone. But people refused to make it, as they found synthetics to be easier to produce and have continued to do it to this day. But today there are many things left from real, natural and even old synthetic fur, which will be enough for everyone for many years. So why continue to produce all sorts of filth, and even more to stay in insanity, claiming that it is the most ethical and environmentally friendly? Why continue to destroy the old real fur?

By the way, when well-known events took place in 2020, many people destroyed hundreds of thousands of minks and other furry animals without hesitation, just because they suspected that they had a disease. At that moment, no one thought about ethics. But for some reason, people think about it when it comes to wearing antique and vintage fur. Do you think this is not absurd? I think it's absurd.

If you don't agree with me, just don't wear any fur at all. And the real one you have, give it to others who think the same way as I do. But don't destroy things that someone else has already done. Respect the work of those who sewed and honor the memory of those from whom this fur was made for the sake of the planet and for the sake of the past, present and future.

I am wearing:

• Red-violet wool/mohair fitted jacket by “DA Essentials” (“Don Algodon”), made in Malaga, Spain, about 2000s-2010s
• (partly seen) Real vintage burgundy silk long sleeve button down blouse, made in Germany, about 1960s-1970s
• Real vintage dark red-violet pure wool maxi swing skirt at front asymmetrical buttoned down by “Lodenfrey”, made in Austria, about 1970s-1980s
• Light brown silk below knee length straight petticoat, about 2000s-2010s
• Real vintage brown mink fur toque hat, about 1940s
• Real vintage brown mink fur stole neckpiece, about 1940s
• (partly seen) Lilac/black/white viscose/silk blend scarf with Art Deco geometrical print by “Past Times”, 2000s-2010s
• Real vintage gold toned metal cardigan/stole clip with hands & «CD» initials ornament, about 1940s
• Real vintage brown real crocodile leather asymmetrical wide belt by “Martinica Str. 84”, made in Italy, about late 1980s-1990s
• Handmade brown/white sheep leather and fur, watersnake skin canoe shaped handbag with metallic decorative clasp and chain by «Novie Sudiono Atelier» («Novi Sudiono Shop»), made in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, about 2010s
• Burgundy leather driving fingerless gloves, about 2010s
• Beige nylon tights, about 2010s-2020s
• Black suede high booties with mid-high heels, 2010s-2020s, made in Spain

I think I ended up with an outfit in the style of the early 1900s, perhaps 1909, inspired by old photographs of real ladies and young ladies. After all, it is quite possible that in winter they wore small fur toques, and not just huge hats with flowers and feathers.

I combined wool, mohair and even silk basic clothing with mink, crocodile and exotic animal accessories. It seems to me that I managed to achieve harmony and not get an overabundance in the spirit of wild Siegfried from old engravings.

What do you think? Write your thoughts in the comments, I would be very interested to hear your opinion!