hi... its me again.....i bought this coat recently... and just wanted to clarify......the date.... and what it is.... also it does pong a bit....well a lot really......i can not keep it anywhere near my other items.....so what would be the best way to get rid... of the smell....... there is no makers label.....the belt is attached on one side then ..raps around ..and then buttons up on the other.... its lined.... with a black ebroided....flower stems..and then some white embroided flower heads..... there is also a clip on the inner side to fasten... which has the letters in little dots which is keska... with a r in a circle... its the make of the clip.. but might shred some light on the date....or where it was made..... here goes.... hope i do the photos ok...... [/img] [/img] [/img] if they havent turned out ok... sorry.....will get there eventually......i hope.....
I can see it fine! Looks like Astrakhan to me, air it as much as you can or have it dry cleaned to get rid of the smell?
Gorgeous coat! Perhaps, swakara or karakul - some type of sheep (lamb) but I'd wait for the experts. I think getting rid of smell with furs requires professional cleaning, but you might try Linda's trick of putting it in a box or some other enclosed space with newspapers and change the newspapers daily - the newspapers absorb the smell - I've tried this on a few items and it works quite well, but I have not been able to eliminate malodor with fur - lessen, yes, but not eliminate.
Ooh yes, that's right. Why am I thinking of broadtail? I don't do furry stuff, which is maybe apparent... :D
thanks..peeps.......the woman in the charity shop seemed to think it was beaver lamb..... thanks for the tip with the newspaper..... will try that..... even if it lessens the smell its a start..... it belonged to an old house keeper of a country house in west wales...... when the estate was sold.... they sent all the clothes to the charity shop..... and they threw them all out except this coat...........because they had a smell about them......they threw them a few weeks before i started calling. to them.... a bit out of my area....so now i call they nearlly every week...... and fair dos to the ladies there.. they now keep things back for me to see........ as for the age......what do you think...? going by the other clothing that they threw out.. etc... we thought it might be 1900 - 1930's..... but i might be totally wrong..... i also have some other bits of this era.... which maybe needs to be dated.... and clarified as well..... i know this sounds silly but as i have been out of collecting etc for so long..... i dont trust my dating.... at the mo...
There's a process called ozone treatment or ozonation or something like that, that my dry cleaner says they can put an item through to get rid of odors. Cleaning always helps, but this process would put the final nix on the odor. Sometimes old lady perfume can stick on an item even through the dry clean process, as can general house funk. I've not tried it, though.
hi.. thanks for odor tips..... will try the newspaper... over the next week or so..... and then phone some dry cleaners... and explain the situation... first.... to see if they would do it.... as i dont want anything to go wrong..... its got a very distinct smell..... not old ladies perfume..... its in between the general musky smell you get with old fur coats/ clothes.... but it is quite strong..... harriett...do you think its earlier ....than 1900 ?...... we were estimating the age.....on the age of the old house keeper etc......but on saying that it could have been her mother's i supose...... when i eventually get the smell out..... or the best i can.....how much could i ask for it ? ........ i will be honest.... its not my cup of tea.... plus its way to long for me..... as i am only 5 ft 1 so.. would look a bit silly on me.....lol
I have always been lucky with the paper treatment and then airing out in fresh air. Wonder if Harriet's new steamer/odor remover could get the smell out? I can't wait to hear more from her because I think this will be a purchase of mine in the new year. No help on the date but I am sure someone will be along soon.
Not for fur, leather or suede I'm afraid Linda :( I got a very strong smoky (cigarette) smell out of a prom dress yesterday though.. I am not sure on date, I get scared pre 1920 (well, 1940!). Do you have a picture of the lining,and the finishing inside? It sounds lovely.
will take a photo of the lining...and post later......hopefully for camera will pick up the detail.... just phoned dry cleaners...... and they said that they would have to send it away..... and yes they would ozone it..... but no garentee that the smell will go.... and they would charge.......wait for it......... are you sitting down............... .................................£73.43....................... so my hubby has come up with a plan............so i will run it by you to see what you guys think.................... as well as the newspaper.................... get muslin cloth............ and make like a pot purri bag.... and put carbon in it.............. the stuff what we use for our fish tanks....................as in theory ..carbon neutralises smells etc............i think thats what they use in shoe odour linners.... or something similar..... what do you think.....is it worth a go............... as the weather is soooooooooooooo wet...and damp... here........i cant put it out side to air......
Like the sound of that I like the idea of the carbon thing ... you can buy air purifiers at Argos A little expensive, but I might be right that these use replacement carbon filter and must be available as a replacement part, find a plastic storage box ! small pump and ask Hubby to rig up a sort of air purifiers chamber,( and if it was air tight you could also suck in some sort of fragrance also or may be not)
hi.. thanks paul for the idea..... carbon is cheap enough from a pet shop.. as they use it in filters..... i might also check out the price of odour eaters... for shoes...... and put one of them in the box with the coat... i've only just come back in.. from christmas shopping.... so will post photos on the lining later..... there is also embroided letters on there.. could be the owner.. or maker.... will have a closer look......
here are two pics of the liing.. one with the intitials embroided and the flower.. the initals are..s.m.f .. [/img] [/img]
nice coat! I had a astrakhan that smelt a bit off, and I put it outside over night for the frost to get it...worked rather well. Good newspaper tip, will try that one next time!
One thing you might also try is double bagging the coat in plastic bags and giving it a hard freeze. You might need to do it twice. You do need a quick freeze though - a big, quick temperature change from room temp to freezing to kill nay mold/must. I also am a big fan of newspapers and airing. As to age - I am no fur expert. But while the style is rather Teens like, the line of the shoulders, the texture of the fur,the lining, the script of the owner's initials and the buttons (still available) make me think it's a later coat. More late 40s to early 50s when waists were fitted and lengths were long. But that is only a guess. Hollis
It looks either late 40s up to c. 1951ish to me or middly 30s. I am thinking more likely 30s because of the half belt and the shape of the sleeves, plus the embroidered initials in the lining, although you get the embroidered initials in coats from the 20s to the 60s it was more common in the 30s than later. The sleeves look shaped to a tighter wrist shape which is more 30s. If it were late 40s or really early 50s I would expect to see looser sleeves either a fuller skirt or a boxier body shape and no belt, or a looser half belt at the back of the coat rather than one that goes almost all the way around. My bet would be c. 1935-36ish.
thanks..peeps.....once i get the smell out from it.....it will be a nice coat.. so price.... how much do you think peeps....? hope you dont mind.. but i will be posting another item later..... for advice..... hope you dont mind......as i said earlier.. sort of lost my confidence... on dating things.....( well lost my confidence full stop really ) will start a new post later with some other bits....
