Restyle Your Fur celebrates tradition. We know how special memories are and we want to help you preserve them. Our creative team has extensive knowledge and decades of experience in fur coat restoration, fur remodeling, and creating mink teddy bears from old fur coats. We are passionate about our work and are focused on every detail in the process. After all, these aren’t just coats, they are your exquisite memories that deserve to be preserved.
Tradition consists of the memories that resonate throughout our mind. The tradition of a special family gathering, quiet walks with our Grandpa or the anticipation of the family vacation. Stop for a moment and tap into what it felt like. The sights, the sounds, the love and those special people that made it memorable. We all hold memories in our hearts, those memories shape us, make us smile, and ignite some special aura that remains inside.
Each year around this time, since it’s a little quiet before the hustle begins, it’s best to start by pulling down sweaters, scarves and boots to see what you can recycle or trend-up without too much investment. Display pending outfits on your bed and write note cards for the missing pieces that you want to buy. Next, take pictures on your phone to remind yourself what you really need, so when you’re out shopping, you will stay on task (it’s so easy to get off-task when shopping!). This fall some of the must-have items are as follows:For most girls, playing dress- up was a part of our everyday existence; it stirred something inside that perhaps never truly left us. Diane, a local resident, recently shared her one of her most precious memories with me, a weekly tradition with her Grandma.
“We stayed at my Grandmother’s house on Saturdays. My mom and Dad had a local shop and Saturday was their busiest day. So every Saturday my parents would rush my little sister and I, almost to the point of panic, into the car to head straight to Nana’s house.
The drive to Nana’s was for the most part serene, of course, as long as my sister Sarah wasn’t asking a million questions along the way. But regardless, I would gaze outside the window as my parents talked about “this and that” which somehow revolved around the big sale at the store that day. Their words soon became a distant hum that was overshadowed by my excitement of what awaited me. Approaching Nana’s house, my heart beat a little faster, because I knew my day was about to begin.
My grandmother was a tall full-figured woman. When she walked into a room, her presence demanded attention. Her smile could light up even the dreariest of days. She loved jewelry, make-up, heels and everything girly. In my eyes she was the queen of everything beautiful. She would not leave the house without make-up. When my Grandfather wanted to take a short trip to the store, he knew he better give ample time. Nana was my personal stylist and wardrobe master in the enchanted land of dress-up.
Her room was full of sacred jeweled things. Her lamps dangled with little beads of amber and crystal. Some pieces were missing, and I remember thinking, even the lamps looked as though they were ready to go somewhere fancy. Nana would lay out some of her most intricate costume jewelry and I would sit and study the pieces as if they were ancient artifacts. My favorite piece was the cameo necklace that was quite bumpy to the touch. It had detail; the ivory lined the silhouette in such a perfect way. I would layer pieces upon pieces until Nana would laugh and say ” less is sometimes more”. Next came the hats, and then the scarves and I would prance around like a queen in a period play. Nana and I would laugh, especially when I would try on the way- too- roomy heels.
There was a moment that I waited for the most, and she knew it. It was an unspoken understanding that the very last piece to try on should be handled with more care than any of the others: Nana’s Mink Coat. Nana’s fur coat was beautiful. It was her signature piece in the winter months and I can still remember how elegant she looked when she would wear it. It was long and brown with black flecks. My Grandfather bought it for her on their anniversary, and when she wore it, there was a supreme elegance about her that just magically emerged.
The thing about fur coats is that they seem to come with a story. It’s not just a piece that is worn and then thrown out or donated.
My grandmother told me stories of how she came to choose this one. She said that sometimes, it just feels right, like a wedding dress, you try it on and you know that it was made just for you. “It chooses you, not the other way around” she would say. I never understood that, until now.
The fur came out of it’s special place in the closet and my eyes would completely light up. Like a queen presented with her royal robe and crown. It of course was huge, and extremely heavy. But I as I glanced in the mirror I could see why she felt so regal. It was soft; it was just well, lovely. My grandmother passed away a few years ago and as we were going through her things, her fur was one of them. Most of the stories and the iconic memories that were made, Nana was wearing that coat, and everyone remembers her in it. She must have exuded some type of presence that the rest of her friends could see. After all, the coat did choose her.
When I found the coat, I didn’t want it to be forgotten. It was such a huge part of mine and my sisters childhood and the tradition and memories were all wrapped up in this beautiful piece of my Grandmothers story. I wanted, I needed, to do something that would preserve those memories, and I wanted it to be a forever reminder of a great-grandmother they never knew.”
At Restyle Your Fur we preserve memories. We provide you with fur restyling ideas that help you along in the process of selecting what is perfect for you. From Diane’s fur coat restyling, we created two fur coat vests, one for her and the other for her sister Sarah. In addition, six mink teddy bears were designed to give to each of their children. Just think, from one fur coat restyling, old traditions are being preserved and new traditions are being formed.
Come celebrate your most trusted memories with us. After all, it’s not just a fur coat, it’s tradition.