Word: fur
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...probably right. At the very least, his sober jeremiad is punctuated by numerous up-to-date examples of wretched excess: fur coats for Cabbage Patch dolls, a stretch limousine for rent in Los Angeles that boasts a hot tub and a helicopter pad, a Manhattan interior decorator who charges his clients $500 to toss throw pillows artistically around a drawing room. The customers for these esoteric goods and services spring from what Lapham calls the "equestrian class," which has multiplied impressively during the decades of postwar American prosperity and which "comprises all those who can afford to ride rather than...
...skaters have strong mothers, and most of the mothers have mink coats. "But my mother's not a rink mom," says Debi. "She works." She's a programmer-analyst in California's Silicon Valley, divorced from Debi's father since 1974. "A coach once advised Mom to rent a fur coat just for the nationals, but I did all right that year without the fur coat." Janice Thomas laughs and says, "They tell you it's to attract sponsorship money, as well as to look a certain part when you're away from the arena. I told them...
More than 50% of all furs are now bought by women under 30 (vs. about 25% ; ten years ago), a trend that retailers are doing everything they can to encourage. Fur sales have gone up roughly 10% annually since 1977, reaching an all-time high of almost $2 billion last year -- this despite the October stock-market crash that many feared would hurt luxury sales. But then, a fur is no longer a luxury, notes Sandra Blye of the American Fur Industry association. "It's a life-style item...
...Fur sales continue to rise despite intensified opposition by animal-rights activists. The Humane Society of the U.S., based in Washington, is planning an all-out advertising campaign. Says Vice President John Grandy: "We believe that if society became aware of the animals' suffering, it would choose against fur." The Pennsylvania-based Trans-Species Unlimited plans a Valentine's Day protest at major-city stores. Its slogan: "Have a heart for wildlife. Don't buy fur...
...moment, fur fanciers do not seem to be deterred. "The animal- rights issue went through my mind," admits one shopper, who went ahead and bought a $15,000 mink. "But if it really bothered me, I would be a vegetarian." An economic downturn, retailers fear, might do more to depress the market. But so far, there seems little cause for alarm. As Vujosevic says about her priorities as she searches for her blue fox: "It was either going to be a coat or a co-op." No contest there...