Stephen Dattner Coat

[Alice M]

Hello!


I picked up this coat for $10 just a few hours ago, but it is in bad nick unfortunately. Just wondering if it is 70s or 80s. I've seen plenty online and there appear to be two types of labels, but everyone is just listing their pieces as '70s/80s' and I'd like a firmer date.

Have included a close up of where the fur is falling out. It definitely feels real - heavy and crinkly and the fur strands look real, but the backing cloth looks unusual to me and it has a really faint pink colour in some lights/at some angles. Does this mean it's synthetic?

Thanks!

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

The style looks more like 1970s to me. Pity that it has dried out. It looks like rabbit to me. Let's see what our fur expert has to say.

 

[furwise]

Hi there; I’d like to see the front to confirm dating.
If the backing of the fur is fabric then it is faux.

 

[Alice M]

The style looks more like 1970s to me. Pity that it has dried out. It looks like rabbit to me. Let's see what our fur expert has to say.

Thank you for the information

 

[Alice M]

Hi there; I’d like to see the front to confirm dating.
If the backing of the fur is fabric then it is faux.

I have taken some more photos of the details such as pockets, the front fastening and the edges. I have decided that it is real fur as it matted in a spot of distress. I also think it is real fur based on the seams and that the fur runs in a different direction along the front seam. I still don't really understand the slight pink colour though. Do you agree with this assessment?
I also included the most distressed bit, I think a bug was in there eating and left behind some gifts for me. I zoomed in on those to ask if that was normal in real fur? I think I saw the same castings on a teddy bear of mine that had been eaten once.
Thank you in advance for any further help you are able to give.

 

[furwise]

Hi, Thank you for the additional images. It is genuine and as MJ said it is rabbit fur. The fabric inside is backing that was sewn to the skin to give it support.
The pink is color change from it once being dyed and being overly exposed to moisture. The dating would be later 70s, could go into the early 80s.
The little separations are from the skin weakening over the years. A good analogy might be a dampened piece of paper easily coming apart.

 

[Alice M]

Hi, Thank you for the additional images. It is genuine and as MJ said it is rabbit fur. The fabric inside is backing that was sewn to the skin to give it support.
The pink is color change from it once being dyed and being overly exposed to moisture. The dating would be later 70s, could go into the early 80s.
The little separations are from the skin weakening over the years. A good analogy might be a dampened piece of paper easily coming apart.

Thank you for explaining the pink. It must have been a much more noticeable pink once upon a time, as now it is very subtle. And for giving me a firmer date.
Is the shedding and separation salvageable? There are only two furriers (that I can find) in my half of the country, and both are quite expensive. I'm thinking this might be too far gone to save, which is a pity as I'd love to wear it, but it leave white hairs all over me! Not for a black outfit at least! At least it was cheap as chips!
Very much appreciate everyone's replies.

 

[furwise]

Thank you for explaining the pink. It must have been a much more noticeable pink once upon a time, as now it is very subtle.

Sorry for the confusion. It was once dyed or brightener was added to make it look more white. At some point it oxidized and that turned it that pinkish color. Sometimes when furs oxidize they yellow but sometimes when they oxidize they get a pinkish tone.

Is the shedding and separation salvageable?

Sadly once a fur is starting to shed there is no stopping it and the skins on this are thin and weak so any repair attempt to hold the skins together would either not work or last a very short time. Even if the skins would hold together the cost of the repair would be more than the jacket was worth.

 

[Alice M]

Sorry for the confusion. It was once dyed or brightener was added to make it look more white. At some point it oxidized and that turned it that pinkish color. Sometimes when furs oxidize they yellow but sometimes when they oxidize they get a pinkish tone.



Sadly once a fur is starting to shed there is no stopping it and the skins on this are thin and weak so any repair attempt to hold the skins together would either not work or last a very short time. Even if the skins would hold together the cost of the repair would be more than the jacket was worth.

Thank you for further explaining that, I don't know much about furs so misunderstood. I'm glad mine went pink instead of yellow.

I suspected as much. One furrier nearish me charges $120AUD for a refurb/treatment, but I don't think that it's worth it. Thank you for confirming this before I spent further effort on it. I'll give it a soft brush to release what hairs I can and see if it is wearable with light coloured clothes.