This year's North American Fur & Fashion Exhibition Gala Fashion Show raised a few eyebrows with its production values, but the fashions themselves proved that the fur trade has come a long way in the past 10 years. Repositioning fur as upscale outerwear has helped many manufacturers push the boundaries of the medium. Since it is one of the major annual showcases for North American fur fashions, the fact that the Gala embraced everything from specially treated sheared beavers to multi-color masterpieces, reversible hide-out minks, flowing foxes, sable, chinchilla, not-your-everyday leathers, knit furs and even seal fashions is a testimony to the fact that the fur industry is serious about modernizing its image.
Modern means different things to different people, though. The use of male and female dancers at the runway entrance and their skimpy costumes, plus unusual icy makeup and controversial choices of clothes to go underneath the coats, made the gala the subject of more than a little debate. Manufacturers especially felt that the production distracted from the main event -- the fur garments. Certainly the Madonna-like dominatrix theme was a little dated, but some retailers and others in attendance felt that the extra entertainment helped make the pace of the show quicker and more exciting. In fact, it did seem shorter, while it was actually several scenes longer than last year's event; no one left before the show was over -- one testimony to its success.
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