Your Favorite Furrier?

[JGalanos]

This topic may have been posted before (a quick search did not unearth one). Just curious ... Who is your favorite furrier and why?

 

I would have to say of all the furriers I have visited over the years my favorite furrier would probably be Dittrich Furs in Detroit. They had the largest selection of (and highest quality) men's furs of any furrier I've visited when I was there several years ago. I would love to go back again. The staff was highly professional and their inventory was simply superb. The prices were on the high side ... But the style/quality of the merchandise was incredible. I've been to dozens of furriers in a dozen cities, but I don't think any of them did fur better than Dittrich.

[Guest]

My childhood favorite was Silvermans in Newport News. How I would fantasize

 

My recent [3 years or so] is not a Furrier as such but a Leather Cleaning outfit in Vancouver, BC. Ace of Suedes. In our links.

 

I've had a number of jackets remodeled by their in house Furriers, Gisela and Vicky.

 

http://www.aceofsuedes.com/

 

More recently I visited Nicholas Ungar Furs in Portland, OR.

 

Horst Grimm and his son run the shop and they are word of mouth. The mouth in this case are emmbers Shelley and Kevin.

 

I'll be going down there very soon.

 

OFF

[FurLoverinFL]

Flemington Furs, Flemington NJ - an institution, nothing more needs to be said.

 

The fur lover formerly known as FLinNJ.

[JGalanos]

Flemington Furs, Flemington NJ

 

I was at Flemington a couple of years ago. A beautiful bionde assisted me. I thought their women's collection was immense and superb ... But I was underwhelmed by their men's collection. It was high season (October) and I thought the men's size and style range was limited in their "Gentlemen's Quarters". (Not trying to be argumentative, just mentioning my experience at 21st century Flemington.) 8)

[furrycocoon]

It's great that you are naming your fav furrier.But to make it more interesting, what experiences did you have in there.What furs did you try on.What was their reaction when you gazed lovingly at a certain fur or walked in a 'Strange peg leg type walk"after you tried on a fur.My fav was "Gale Furs'of London,England.The owner let you try on the furs and did not seem bothered when I went into a daze when stroking a silver fox I was wearing.An understanding guy,if ever I met one.

[Guest]

When I was at Unger Furs I was trying on an enormous Silver Fox.

 

I'm not exactly a small guy. 210# & 5/11. This was like a tent!! He made it for a guy. He must be 300+ and 6/6.

 

I was standing there looking at myself in the mirror with my arms out like an amateur eBay model when Horst says .. "Stick your hands in the pockets and own the fur!!".

 

I'll never forget that

 

 

 

OFF

[JGalanos]

Does Grosvenor count? Is Grosvenor a furrier or a collection? (I'm ashamed to say I don't know.) All I know is that in the 80's, Grosvenor featured some of the most beautiful, luxurious and desirable furs I have ever seen! (Only in magazines, of course.)

 

Grosvenor may have had a stand alone store in Montreal but in the US Grosvenor designs were only sold at high end furriers and department stores. As I recall the Grosvenor collection was prominently featured in the 70's and 80's at some now defunct high end furriers including the Carol and Irwin Ware fur collection at I. Magnin in Chicago and Bonwit Teller in New York. But regardless, I concur ... For many years Grosvenor designed absolutely stunning collections for both men and women.

[JGalanos]

to make it more interesting, what experiences did you have in there.What furs did you try on.What was their reaction when you gazed lovingly at a certain fur

 

I wrote about this Dittrich experience once before. While I was at the store I tried on at least a dozen different men's coats and jackets. All were excellent quality ... But the one that stopped me dead in my tracks was an ankle length Blackglama mink coat. I had never tried on Blackglama (or any other "high end" mink for that matter) before and I was blown away. I think in terms of workmanship and pelt quality it was probably the finest fur I have ever tried on. The female skins were lush, dense, and flawless. The large shawl collar had a hidden tab on the side that you could attach to a hidden button on the other side to close out the wind (and schnuggle up) on brisk days. I did not want to take it off. It was on sale for $8999 ... To dear fur me ... But given that I wore it around the store as I browsed the racks and could not resist stopping by the store to try it on again on my way to the airport, I think it was pretty obvious that I was enamored with the coat. 8)

[sethsable]

Morris Furs in Edmonton is my top pick. The ladies there are very friendly and love to talk about furs (both were models in the seventies). I store my best coats with them, I love the people and the style of the store but the selection is all mink and very expensive. Well not all mink some sheared beaver. I would love to buy a coat from them but I'm still working on fox coats, a type of fur that's in short supply in their showroom.

 

The only other furrier I've been to is the Bay fur salon. I had all my furs appraised there. The manager is very experienced and knows furs from top to bottom. The problem was that while she was appraising my furs she did it as fast as posible and encouraged me to leave and come back in twenty minutes. I guess she figured I was a shopping hating boyfriend who wanted to get this done as soon as possible. I returned a year later for storage to find a new manager. She listed my indigo fox as a silver fox, right there I new she didn't know jack about furs. Like the other manager she didn't try to sell or show me anything. I'm getting off topic... this is about fav furriers so I'll stop with the negative stories

[JGalanos]

She listed my indigo fox as a silver fox,

 

Interesting ... I've had the reverse happen ... I've had my silver fox coat listed as indigo fox more than once! So you are not alone.

[JGalanos]

I'll take this thread in yet another direction ...

 

What is the worst experience you have ever had at a furrier? I think hands down mine has to be with a furrier in Las Vegas about 10 years ago. I stopped by the shop after seeing their yellow pages ad to see what they might have available. Their inventory was relatively inexpensive in price ... but the quality and styles were often terrible. I mentioned that I had looked at furs at the Birger Christensen salon at Saks the day before (I tried on an incredible 3/4 length men's Canadaian Majestic Mink coat while I was there) and the owner proceeded to tell me that HE SUPPLIED Saks with their furs -- That's why his were so inexpensive relative to theirs (cutting out the middle man blahblahblah). Being polite, I did not say anything ... But my intelligence had been grossly insulted so I left promptly afterward.