wearing fur

Macho men have always looked great in fur coats. Think of John Wayne in his cowboy shearling, Jimmy Hendrix in his fur skins with the whipstitching or F. Scott Fitgerald's legendary raccoon coat. Hunters and trappers of the 1800's wore full-length fur coats for practical reasons and then, in the jazz era from the 20's s onward, furs represented luxury. But not until sexy football hero Joe Namath and tough guy actor Steve McQueen wore fur coats and sunglasses, did furs become synonymous with 'cool.'Yet, during the eighties and nineties, fur didn't carry the same iconic identity as it did in the 70's other than its association with over-the top luxury and excess.Now, 'cool men' wearing fur is the height of fashion once again. In GQ this month, there is a 1970's picture of Steve McQueen in a full-length shearling coat. And Topps (maker of baseball and football cards has just produced a collectors edition card of Joe Namath wearing a fur coat and sunglasses.John Patrick, designer of the John Patrick mens fashion label says, "A fur coat is like a fast car. Fur on a man expresses his sexual confidence. Just look at Lenny Kravitz- men's furs are now very rock and roll."Whether this comeback is due to the '70s revival or a move toward raffish elegance in fashion, men in furs debunk the idea of fur as merely a feminine privilege.Also, men have more choices in fur coats than ever before - from the classic raccoon to fur bomber jackets. At the men's 2002 fall winter collections, Kenneth Cole showed a glacial blue shearling jacket and Swedish designer and J. Lindeberg showed a gray patchwork suede coat - both a far cry from the maxi mink of Joe Namath! The Dries van Noten shearling selling at Maxfield's in LA definitely has shades of Steve McQueen and KamKyl a Canadian menswear designer (http://www.kamkyl.com/) custom makes a one of kind, military style short sheared female mink ($11000cdn).We are entering an era of masculine elegance. Fur coats are not only a statement of cool but an expression of a man's sexuality. So guys, get ready to strut your stuff and don't forget.

Coyote fur is very nice colourful...