Why Wait for a Man to Buy One?

By Nancy R. Gibbs

A mink, advised Amy Vanderbilt 25 years ago, must be "treated with respect and worn on appropriate occasions only." This ruled out sporting one on the subway, at the fish market, over sweat pants or before 6 p.m. Tradition further dictated that unless she was a starlet or worse, a woman waited for her husband to present her with a coat on her 50th birthday, to mark her arrival as a Matron.

This week, as shoppers descend upon furriers for the annual winter sales, those maxims appear all but extinct. A typical buyer is more likely to be female than male, and more likely to be under 30 than 50; also, she may earn less than the salesperson. The new breed of shoppers operates on the principle that life is short, winters are cold, and it is better to spoil yourself than rely on a man to do it for you. "I always wanted a fur, and I get what I want," says Karen Fallica, 24, an accountant from Brooklyn who earns about $25,000 a year and has budgeted $6,000 for a mink. "It's not worth it to wait for a guy to get you one," maintains Vesna Vujosevic, 23, a secretary from Queens, as she prowls through Manhattan's Saks Fifth Avenue in search of a floor-length blue fox.

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."

Minks still account for more than half of all sales, but many young shoppers are looking for something different. Among the options are a yellow rabbit ski jacket with black skiers stenciled all over it, a sheared muskrat with silk-screen Dalmatian dots, and blond Tanuki raccoons with sleeves spiraled like a barber's pole.

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."

For the 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.

With reporting by Janice M. Horowitz/New York