When it comes to the ultimate decadent and luxurious wear, there’s nothing that beats the fur cape. Wearing one just makes you feel like you’ve transported back to the golden era of Hollywood where women would attend formal balls and parties draped out in their most lush furs and dripping with precious jewelry.

These days, however, trying to wear a traditional fur cape outside of a formal event in a cold climate results in the wearer looking tacky and out of place. Luckily, there are modern designs that are sleeker and more suited for casual or everyday wear, without losing any of the warmth, comfort, elegance, and beauty that made fur capes so attractive.

What Type of Fur Should I Look For?

There are several varieties of fur that can be used for making capes, with the lower-end and bulk fur including rabbit, hare, and possum. Beaver and raccoon fur are valued for their durability and warmth, but they are not seen as chic and high-end.

If you are looking for truly high-end and glamorous fur, here are the four possible choices you can choose from:

·        Fox

Fox fur is often seen as the “low” end of the high-end furs, as these furs are common and easy to come by. What’s more, they are often dyed other colors because the natural colors of fox fur can be quite boring. Fox fur capes are generally used for snowy, wet, and windy climates because the long hairs of the fur provide excellent insulation. However, despite it being the “low” end, good quality fox fur capes will still cost you around $800-$1000.

·        Mink

Mink is often the best “starter” fur cape because it’s light, has a soft texture, unique sheen, and lengthy life span. They are generally made from the coat of female minks as these produce lighter and softer pelts compared to males. Most mink fur capes come in a decadent and deep chocolate brown. Mink capes can vary wildly in price depending on the quality of the fur, the brand, and the quality of the garment. You can spend as little as $1500, or upwards of $10,000.

·        Sable

Incredibly thick, silky, and smooth, sable fur capes are second in texture, softness, and pure luxury only to chinchilla fur. Sable come in a variety of brown shades, from light-yellowish to dark, almost black brown. The basic sable fur cape can cost around $15,000, but the truly high-end ones can run to around six figures.

·        Chinchilla

Chinchilla fur is THE ultimate luxury fur that you can find for fur capes. The softness, texture, and sheen of the pelt is instantly recognizable, and it is said that you can even pick out a chinchilla coat simply because of how lush and decadent it looks. Chinchillas have the densest fur of any animal in the world, which accounts for the softness and thickness of chinchilla pelt. A basic chinchilla fur cape will cost you around $30,000, but if you get one that’s created by high-fashion names, expect the price tag to go into the hundreds of thousands.

How to Wear a Fur Cape

These days, fur capes can come in either short or long form. Short capes are considered to be more modern and casual compared to long capes, and they are more versatile in terms of pairing them with other clothes.

For short capes, you want to wear them with proper layering of other thermal wear as you are going to sacrifice functionality for fashion. However, if you don’t want to look bulky, pair your fur cape with thin warm material such as wool or cashmere. Fur capes go well with sweaters and turtlenecks. You can also wear scarves or a stole to add additional warmth and protection around your neck and jaw. Finish your look by wearing leather jeans and granny boots.

For long capes, it might be harder to find occasions to wear them as they are usually made for evening events or formal events. If you do have a suitable event for wearing a long fur cape, you want to wear something that will complement the color, texture, and weight of the fur cape. Wear something simple and unstated underneath in order to emphasize the decadence of the fur cape. Make sure to wear your hair up as fur coats tend to draw attention; this allows people to still see your face and make the fur coat a framing device. You can pair the long fur coat with gloves and a fur hat for a truly old-school luxury look.