With the Christmas season almost upon us, it occurred to me to wonder about depictions of Saint Nicholas/ Father Christmas, and the use of fur trim on coats. What exactly is the design purpose of putting a trim at the ends of hems, sleeves and collars? Even when this isn’t fur it was often lace or some other refinement.
I walk the dog in a nylon coat with fur trim on the hood. The way the fur blocks the wind is unreal. If I walk with a different type of hood, the hood just fills up with cold air.
It’s a wind barrier. Most useful before the invention of elastic.
Yes, and some fur, reportedly, doesnt get frosted/iced up.
Also they used a LOT of wool, and unless you have merino, etc, wool can be itchy if it is constantly rubbing on one place.
There’s a long-held belief, starting with the natives’ preference for it on the hoods of their anoraks, that wolverine fur doesn’t freeze or accumulate freezing moisture. This article debunks that, in favor of the fur’s comparatively easier ability to slough off accumulation.
Showing off your wealth.
And originally, some garments are actually fur-lined and just the edges of that show, as opposed to just a strip at hems.
I’m sure that spring off your wealth is an important purpose of fur, but unlike lace, which was mostly used because it was expensive, i think, fur is also warm and soft and light and fairly sturdy.
Plus there weren’t a lot of options for warmth aside from fur, so it wasn’t just about showing off. To a certain extent, it was the practical solution.
Sumptuary laws could dictate who could wear what kind of fur. Lower classes had to make do with sheep, goat and rabbit while aristocrats could wear fur sourced from faraway Canada or Muscovy. The English toff in his felt or silk top hat vs Andy Capp in his wool flat cap was a vestige of that into the 20th century
I thought tophats were Beaver fur?
Fur has been used since cavemen. They were not rich.
Ummm, well…maybe they were.
Wool is plenty warm.
Not when it’s really cold. And a warm wool coat is extremely heavy and bulky. I’ve had a wool coat that wasn’t nearly as warm as my comfy down parka, but weighed a ton and was huge.
I mostly wear down in cold weather I’m told that in colder places, they still mostly wear fur. Before modern tightly woven fabrics, i have to think down was impractical, and fur was your best bet.
Caribou and seal are best, obviously since they live in the coldest places
My parka is pure polar bear fur.
The felt was made of beaver fur.
Fleeces are rarer than woven or knitted wool (you only get a fleece once per sheep) but maybe warmer?
Oh. Thx. I was thinking another kind of felt. You know that colorful stuff in Kindergarten classes?
You only get beaver felt in Kindergarten at the high-end schools. 
You can felt most wools.
Wool is a good insulator due to its crimped fibers that trap air, creating a thermal barrier that keeps you warm in cold weather. And it can keep you warm even if it gets wet - something that down is dismal at. What it’s not great at is blocking wind. But if you wear a wind breaking shell over a wool jacket, you’ll stay toasty warm.
A wool coat usually blocks the wind just fine. They aren’t made like sweaters.
If it is warm enough that it might rain, i usually wear a synthetic. The modern synthetics are pretty good. If it’s colder than that, i usually wear down. If it weren’t socially unacceptable to wear a fur coat these days, i might have one.
I like wool. I wear wool socks. I enjoy wool blankets. I have a lightweight wool shirt i wear when it’s a little chilly. But wool is awfully heavy as cold-weather gear, and i like lots of other things more.