I remember watching TV, where both cartoons and live action shows would make various references to luxury items – the most iconic of which (in my kid-mind) was the mink coat. If you had a wife with a mink fur coat, then, by God, you were successful.
So now, mumblety-mumble years later, by the grace of God, I have a lovely wife.
And Bergdorf Goodman has a lovely Intarsia mink coat, at a mere $67K retail.
I’m reasonably comfortable, money-wise, these days, but there’s no way in hell I’d drop $67,000 on a coat even if I had ten times as much disposable income. There’s just too much other stuff I’d do first. Even if I had Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos money, money enough that I literally would not notice the expenditure (“Honey? I’m missing sixty-seven thousand dollars; can you check my pockets before you run the washer?”) I would not spend it on a mink coat.
Luckily, Mrs. Bricker has never hinted at any interest in a mink coat.
I love fur coats, though I have a hard time reconciling my love of animals with the idea of killing them so I have something pretty to wear. No one wears fur anymore, anyway, the PETA people have made sure of that, and it seems like a status symbol of generation well into the realm of elderly now.
I took a fur and leather course some years ago. It was interesting to learn how to work with fur and I made a few cool things for myself. Back then you could still get away with wearing fur, and used and vintage furs were fairly plentiful, though I think the prestige of owning a mink coat was waning even back then. On the other hand, a good fur coat is light and very warm, and lovely to touch.
Not that I would necessarily encourage you to buy a mink coat (and like brainstall says, they are out of fashion anyway), but you can get one for waaaaaaaaay less then 67 grand.
My step-mother grew up poor (as did my Dad). She is 82 years old to give some context. When she was very young in New York, she always dreamed of owning a mink coat if she ever became wealthy.
She and my Dad did very well and did become wealthy and when she was in her 40s, she got her mink coat. While living in Los Angeles. She probably had occasion to wear it four times. Last I saw it, it was sitting in the basement closet. The thing is gross to the touch to my tastes but much of that is probably cultural conditioning.
If she even still has it, we will give it to charity when she passes. Does anyone even want those things anymore?
Most of the time, the thing that stops me from buying clothing/shoes/accessories is the thought that I really have no place to wear the thing I’m looking at.
“Yeah cool boots and they fit (which is a miracle) but when am I ever in the need for fashionable yet not-that-warm boots?”
Curious - do your wife go to many places where a mink coat would be useful/acceptable? I assume you go to lawyer dos and stuf - do you see others in mink coats there?
I know I must lack some girly gene because I never wanted a mink, or diamonds, or manicures, or makeup, or 400 pairs of shoes. My youngest sis got a fur of some sort from an estate sale and she wears it occasionally because she’s a character. I think she even took it on a cruise to wear on formal night.
$67k seems a bit steep. My mother has one she bought ~20 years ago for a couple grand. Browsing online today suggests about $5-$7k for a full length coat which sounds about right for inflation. Maybe $6k doesn’t buy the best possible coat but there has to be a middle ground between $6k and $67k
My mom wears hers for special dinners or going to the theater and stuff like that. It also serves the important function of me coming over for Christmas, putting it on and telling my sister that I’m going to contest it in the will because Jophiel needs his pimp coat.
I had never heard of Bergdorf Goodman before. They sure sell some… interesting goods.
Since you have restrained yourself from the $67,000 outlay, perhaps you should treat yourself to one of these for less than a tenth of the price. (Or go to Hot Topic for something similar at one thousandth of the price.)
Wow. Now I kind of wish we’d have a nuclear war so I could ride around the wastelands while wearing that thing. I’m not sure where else it would be appropriate.
At the risk of perpetuating another stereotype. . . we have season tickets for the opera, and we dress up there (especially on opening night), but even then, fur coats are a rare sight. I’ve seen older ladies wearing fur coats, but no one within 20 years of my wife’s age.
The other event that comes close is Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree social functions, where the gentlemen wear tuxedos, sometimes white dinner jackets to dinner, and the ladies are dressed appropriately matching. But again, the only time we see fur coats is on the older ladies.
At least those awful pelts seem to have went the way of the dodo. You know, those ones that still had the head and tail and feet and all that? Those were freaking gross.
