The Fur Is Flying

The first family isn’t the only thing that’s blown into Washington from the Windy City. The Wall Street Journal reports the fur is flying inside the Beltway.

Residents are sporting mink jackets, shaking the mothballs off their chinchilla coats and pulling sable stoles out of storage. Sales of fur are up, too, some Washington retailers say.

Fur was a staple on the runways this season and the looks have made it to Washington since a number of President Obama’s appointed entourage are from Chicago. That city ranks second behind New York in fur purchasing.

If there’s any city where rocking fur is understandable, it’s Chicago. We’ve certainly had some cold days in DC but not the bone chilling weather Chicago gets every year. The furry trend first appeared Inauguration weekend and has lasted throughout the winter. And you know who is wearing it… the WSJ says:

Also, the administration has attracted a lot of professional African-American talent to the D.C. area, and fur-industry officials say that black consumers are disproportionately big fur buyers. Their share of the market is up even as nationwide sales have declined. In 2006, the last year for which data are available, black consumers represented 27% of fur sales in the U.S., compared with 16.5% in 2002, according to the Fur Council, based in Los Angeles.

I don’t think we’ll see First Lady O rockin’ a mink any time soon, thankfully. Jem is quite on the fence about the fur. Every time I see a fur coat, all I can see are baby chinchilla faces hanging off it. But I love the way fur looks and feels. My compromise: faux fur. But the good kind…not the kind you’ll find on the seat covers in Tyrone’s hooptie.

Here are some fab faux fur ideas if it’s still chilly where you live.

Donna Salyer's Fabulous Furs

Dennis Basso furs on QVC

Keep it fluffy...and socially responsible, folks!