Well I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle...

After a veritable drought of vintage finds lately, last Friday I finally struck gold!  At an estate sale near my house, I discovered a pristine vintage 1930s/1940s Colobus monkey fur coat!  It made my jaw drop!  

 

 

I have never, ever, seen a vintage monkey fur coat in person before (only pictures of very expensive ones on the internet).  It was just amazing - seriously, there are no words.  Monkey fur coats are rare and expensive.  Back in the 1930s and 1940s, when this coat was made, monkey fur was something only the very rich could afford.  That's why skunk fur (dyed all black) was often called the "poor woman's monkey."

I didn't even think - I grabbed that coat and purchased it right then and there!  The asking price wasn't even a tenth of its retail value, so I decided it was a good buy.  Sadly, when I tried the coat on after getting home, it was far too big for me.  Now, I realize that bulky coats were the style of that era, but the coat was so big that I felt rather like a little girl playing dress-up in her mother's clothing!  All I needed were the too-big shoes and string of pearls...

 

Plus, even though I have no problems with vintage fur, I don't think I would have the balls to wear an actual monkey fur coat out in public.  So, I decided I needed to sell it.  One of the problems with selling such a valuable piece is that it is difficult to "move" the item quickly - there just aren't many people out there willing to drop a grand on a coat instantaneously.  I knew the coat would eventually sell, but I just don't have the storage facilities for such a valuable piece.  I contacted a vintage clothing seller I knew up in Portland with some questions about the coat, and before I knew it, we were talking about a part cash part trade deal!  She has been looking for a monkey fur coat for ages in her size, but couldn't afford to pay full price in cash.  I wanted someone who would love and appreciate the coat, due to its AMAZING history (more on that in a minute!), and was definitely on-board with the idea of a large shopping spree at one of my favorite stores!  Still working on negotiations, but it looks like I may be taking a weekend trip to Portland next month.  Fun!

Now, about the history of the coat, and why I think it is so amazing (and why it breaks my heart to part with it): when I inspected the coat, the only issues with it were superficial (and easy to repair with some handstitching).  The biggest issue was that the stitching had come loose along the hemline, separating the lining from the pelts at the bottom of the coat.  When I looked closer, I found a handwritten ownership tag underneath the lining, which read: "This coat belongs to Ann Konar, 43482 Merril, Utica, Mich."  I had purchased the coat from the estate of the late Mrs. Likely.  Further research revealed that the mysterious Ann(a) Konar was Mrs. Likely's mother!!!  Anna was born Anna Blondel in 1910 in Yugoslavia.  I'm not sure when she emigrated to America, but she married her husband, Otto Konar, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1934.  Sometime after that, they moved to Utica.  Otto died in the 1960s, and in 1973 or 1974, Mrs. Likely moved to Oregon with her husband, and Anna came with them.  Anna and her daughter were apparently very close, and both loved gardening.  Anna passed away in 2001, at the age of 91.  Clearly, both mother and daughter treasured the coat - you can tell because it is in absolutely incredible condition for its age.  It's SO rare to find out the history of a vintage piece, let alone be able to trace its history back two generations!  For that reason alone I would keep it, but it doesn't seem fair to keep it simply to stare at it adoringly as it hangs in my closet.  It deserves to go to a loving home where it will be worn and adored.  This is why I agreed to do a trade, because I know this woman will absolutely cherish the coat.

Sometimes you find the darnedest things...

Prison Break

Ryan and I decided that we were loooooooooooong overdue for a fun all-day outing! I had gotten wind of a costume & vintage clothing sale going on in Ashland this morning, so we headed out around 8 am for adventures. We did not realize what a zoo of insanity we'd be getting ourselves into (there were literally hundreds of people wedged into a tiny area - rather my version of hell; It reminded me of that scene in The Four Feathers with the ocean of prisoners crammed together). Arriving only a few minutes after the sale began, we were already too late for most of the "good stuff," and after elbowing our way over to the $1 hat bins, I discovered 5 rather beat-up but useable vintage hats. I was thinking that I could repair them and either wear them myself or resell them. However, after standing in the enormous check-out line for about 10 minutes and not moving an inch (all the while with screaming and elbowing people crammed around me), I decided that waiting 3 hours to pay for $5 in broken merchandise was a pretty stupid idea. So we ditched the hats and fought our way out. There was a small incident with one of the sale attendants trying to stop me by implying that my vintage hat wasn't mine but that I was trying to shoplift it out of there (I wore my white one with the flowers - a rather stupid idea now that I think about it: wearing a vintage hat to a sale with a lot of vintage hats. Oh well. Thinking ahead was never my strong suit anyway). Grrrrrrrr! That lady would have to pry MY vintage hat from my cold dead fingers! Thankfully (for me...and for Ryan, who is not a fan of conjugal prison visits), a quick "No!" and swiftly walking away ended the matter. She had another million screaming people to deal with.

After the scary costume sale, we stopped for breakfast at a little hole-in-the-wall cafe in Ashland. By the time we were finished eating, the stores were opening up, so we spent a good deal of time just wandering around the shops. We admired many of the touristy boutiques, but didn't purchase anything. Sometimes the fun is in the browsing!

Finally, we had exhausted our shopping reserves, and decided to head home. When we reached the car, we saw that it was only about 12:30 - the day was still young! So we decided to head to an Estate Sale in Medford. We figured it would most likely be picked clean by the time we got there (and it was), but I still thought it would be fun to look, and it was on our way home anyway. After a rather interesting round-about drive to get there, we finally found the home. Yes, sadly, I missed the good stuff: mink coats, vintage picture hats, the works! I wanted to cry! But after poking around, I discovered one lovely little coat in the downstairs closet which I knew had to come home with me! It's 1920's in style (it may possibly be that old - I can't tell! Anyone who has any input is welcome to comment!), with a low-tying waist, two clasps, and a top button closure. A little big on me, but wearable. At $10, who could refuse?! Besides, it matched my hat! So home with me it came! Jugi helped me model it later...

I look about as exhausted as I feel in this picture! But I have my Jugi in my arms, and that means that I am at least a very happy exhausted person!

Here's a great shot of me taking off the coat...gotta love that candid expression (thanks a lot, Ryan).

I have since tried researching the company on the label ("B.F. Schlesinger and Sons") but have been unable to find any useable information. So I have no idea if it IS a legitamate coat from the 1920's, or a later reproduction. Here is a picture of the label, and the beautiful top button.

When we got home, two surprises awaited me! My Negresse potato tubers and my owl brooch (from my wonderful friend and fellow beader, Emerald Window) had FINALLY arrived! Happy Day! Isn't the brooch beautiful? I love the golden oak branch she added to the piece. I think I will wear it with my new old coat!

And finally, two great pieces of gardening-related news!:

1) We ate the first of the sweet corn last night! I was so excited! And to add to my glee, I noticed that the Oaxacan Green Dent Corn is quite plentiful in my patch! The ears are getting large, and some plants have up to two ears on them! Everything I read on this variety of corn said to only expect one ear per plant. Yay for me!

2) The tomatoes are finally coming on line. Look at today's harvest (my hand for scale)!

Also in the Farm-Related News:

Ryan has decided it is high time to dry off our does. I have to admit, while I will be relieved to not have to deal with all that milking season entails soon, I don't know if I am quite ready to say goodbye to fresh dairy products. Ryan and I have decided that, after our very rough milking season this year, we will be taking a break next year. No kiddings, no milking, and sadly, no cheese. BUT that also means no due date/labor/insane vet bill stress, so the pro's are pretty nice...still, I don't want to have to go back to store bought milk! Sigh...

And now, to leave you with a happy picture of two best buds: