Pay Dirt!

I've loved furry things for as long as I can remember - as a child, I've always preferred the fluffiness of stuffed toys, especially cute little animals, to the smooth plastic bodies of dolls.

Translated into grown-up terms, I suppose a nice fur coat would be the cuddlytoy equivalent. I've been looking out for one since I moved to Sydney (no real need for one in Singapore) but what I've seen on the racks never fit what I have in my mind:
- A cape, not a coat
- Soft real animal fur in an even medium brown
- Secondhand, of course. First-hand will be way too expensive plus there are the politics and ethics involved in the wearing of "new" fur. Some will say that I shouldn't be purchasing any fur at all, old or new, but this is the argument in my head, "I haven't eaten red meat for the last 22 years and I know I won't start eating any for the rest of my life so if I want a fur cape, I should be allowed to have one."

Four years on the hunt and I finally hit pay dirt today at the Surry Hills Market. Made locally in the 50s by Cornelius Furs, it had everything that I wanted and more - slits for the arms in front (exactly how I love my capes!), a huge vintage hook-and-eye fastener and a very very good price.