Possible Ocelot? fur jacket, 50s/60s?

Hi all,

I bought this jacket online recently as faux fur, but having arrived as real fur I'm now wondering if it is real Ocelot, or just printed to resemble the markings. I've never come accross real Ocelot in person so am not familiar with the texture etc., could anyone give me their opinion?





I haven't found any info on the maker, De Bella, other than coats listed for sale as fur or faux fur.. The fur itself is fairly short and smooth except for places where it has been rubbed over time and become more coarse. If it were real and not, say, printed to look like Ocelot, would the marking colour go all the way down to the skin? Although I read that the fur is paler than the rest of the coat beneath, if that's what Wikipedia was refering to?





The mighty Wiki also says that the Ocelot was classified a "vulnerable" endangered species from 1972 until 1996, but is now rated "least concern" in 2008- anyone know if that has affected the selling regulations?

Thanks everyone!
Ava

 

The actual colour is quite as pinky as the first shot!

 

I think this is printed to look like Ocelot; to my knowledge the hair colour is the same from root to tip, just like ours are though the shade may vary slightly it can't change colour half-way down! The pattern is also a bit too bold to look natural to me, especially the black outline.

are you absolutely sure it is real? there are parts in your photos that look faux to me. Something about how coarse and slightly crinkly the hairs look. The label 'Fashion perfect furs' would also suggest faux fur to me.

 

I thought it would be the same all the way down also, but I read in two articles about a paler base colour- I'm not sure what that means..! Had a look at my dog who is black and white, and found that in his areas of spotting, the black hairs are actually white 2/3 of the way down, dunno if that has any application to wild cat identification though :p
I've found very similar markings on real ocelot coat examples online, I'm just not sure what to expect in terms of fur texture which is why I had doubts..

It's deffinately real fur, it's arranged in 'panels' of pelts, and in parts where there are -unfortunatly- splits between these, I can see it has suedey-skin backing. In the majority of faux items I've had from designers, or at least with named labels, they've given a kind of content breakdown or called it something like 'styled fur'.

 

I had just looked up names of furs to identify a faux fur and I believe you have the real thing. Images of ocelot fur on mighty google show considerable variation in color and pattern.
Marian

 

Ocelots DO seem to be a varied bunch, this little guy ¬ has fairly similar markings..


.. Does anyone have any tips on cleaning? The coat has a very musty 'shed' smell which I'd like to get rid of, and looks a little dull in places, I'm sure with some tlc it'll be gorgeous again... I read that you need a dry cleaning solution and sawdust + vacuum, but that sounds like I have a high risk of making a terribly messy job- would a gentle sponging do the trick I wonder?

 

Hang it outside in a protected area for a long, long time. Most of the mustiness will disappear.

 

Hi,

It is beautiful. I am sure that it is a faux fur, printed/dyed to resemble a big cat. I am not seeing the density or look of ocelot or other big cats.

 

Hey Barbara,

It's deffinately real fur as the small slits inbetween pelts allow the underside to be seen, which is the skin. I'm wondering if maybe it's something like sheared beaver... Have seen a few examples of sheared beaver lamb with ocelot print, but it doesn't have the surface texture of beaver lamb. I just don't know on this one!

 

Hi,

OK thanks for that clarification. So it is some kind of natural fur that has been dyed to resemble a big cat, I would think. Looks almost like a mouton or perhaps sheepskin or mountain goat? I did not know it had skin, so yes it is a real fur then. I am no fur authority, I am lost on this one thats for sure!

 

Could you show us a picture of the area where you can see the splits and skin?

 

I believe mouton and beaver lamb are very similar, both made to resemble beaver for those who couldn't afford it, I'm totally unsure on what mine is still after hours of internets trawling..
I unpicked an area of the lining, here's the skin back-


I have a 1950s sheepskin coat to compare with and this doesn't feel the same, less smooth, it seems a little thinner also.

What I'm actually going to do is go along to one of the V&A's 'opinion days' and get an expert's advice, it's really bugging me!

 

Oh that sounds great! I didn't know the V&A did such a thing. I was going to take my 1930's Chanel gloves to the Antiques Roadshow who have put up their next tour dates but they aren't coming near me until June.

 

I know I got all excited! It's the first tues of the month, so I just missed it this time.. sent the textiles team an email yesterday with some images so maybe they can tell me something interesting from them, but I imagine the piece is something that needs to be seen 'in the flesh' to get a deffinate answer.
Apparently they're moving the fashion collection to a purpose built facility and it isn't available to view now until 2013! Aw.

 

you know they have pictures of it all online though? I use it all the time

 

Yeah I've had a good trawl through, though it seems to be that the pieces I find the most interesting they don't have the pictures up for! Typical..

 

VMO DE...MY FRIEND FOUND THIS FORUM AND BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION BECAUSE THE SAME THING JUST HAPPENED TO ME...ONLINE I PURCHASED WHAT WAS ADVERTISED AS A FAUX FUR LEOPARD COAT...WHEN IT ARRIVED IT WAS OBVIOUSLY ANIMAL SKIN...WHAT ANIMAL? ....I DON'T KNOW...MY COAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE YOURS WHICH IS WHY WE NOTICED YOUR POST.

 

I have taken a couple pieces to a taxidermist for confirmation, however he was an expert in the field of exotic skins and did work for the movie industry. Make sure it's someone who knows their stuff.
IMO the OP's coat is not ocelot or exotic fur, rather sheared sheepskin. It's hard to guess without touching, but the close-ups definitely are dyed.

 

For comparison, here are some closeups of an ocelot coat that's in my store.
It's very soft - softer than rabbit, and appears to have been sheared a bit.