Fashion – The Fur-Trimmed 60s

Fur has been the clothing of choice since prehistoric times in order to keep warm, look smart and show off wealth. And, of course, the 1960s fashion scene was no exception.

If the 1960s were anything they wanted to be ‘modern’ with everything given a new look never before seen. Fashions of previous eras were taken down, dusted and then subtly altered to make them ‘new’.

However, modern styles had to be complemented by something and the 60s were, and this is not generally recognised, a time of extravagance and expense. There was full employment and wages were good(ish) for the time giving people money in their pocket. And, perhaps for the first time, young people were able to go out and buy the clothes they wanted rather than have them purchased by older people.

So, as in previous decades, the material of choice for clothes and for trimmings fell on that good old staple, the richness and opulence of fur.

Want a coat? Got to be mink!
This was the days of mink coats for the rich. Every girl wanted a mink or perhaps something similar. Or, if this was out of financial reach, a fur with a similar look. At this time, many a young woman could be seen on a cold day wearing her real (or faux) fitted leopard skin coat with pride. Or, if leopard was not to your liking, then a great deal more was on offer including cheetah, lamb, rabbit or musquash.

Alternatively, if a full fur coat was not to your liking then fur trimming were very popular.

But fur was not restricted to coats, it was a very popular trimming material for other clothes and for hats. Don’t forget that hats were only just starting to go out of fashion, at least with people of middle age and beyond.

But was real?
However, it wasn’t all bad. Fake fur was found in abundance at the cheaper end of the market and, as the decade advanced, fun-dyed fur began to appear and became very popular even with those who could afford the real thing.

Of course, real fur has been more or less outlawed as a material for clothing but, so far as I can recollect, no one in the 1960s gave a thought to the way in which it was made or the animals from which it came.

Researching for material for this article I was lucky enough to find this video from ‘the 60s’ on YouTube. I’m not sure what the year is but it’s 60s and I would guess early in the decade. Have a look and see how much fur you can spot.

In researching this I didn’t find what you might call a lot of material and I would like to try to add more to a later article so if you have any pictures you can let me show the world or any comments or recollections about the use of fur please get in touch.

On a more personal note and to add my own recollection, I can recall girls in fur coats or coats with fur trimmings. Most of it was fake but I do remember real fur coats and feeling the richness of the fur.  To give you an idea of what is available now (and because I like looking at fur coats) I have included a big Amazon UK advert below.

Photo Echoforsberg