Winter Cometh: 1968



Winter Cometh:  1968
By Arlene Levin
(c) 2019

For me winter was a race from one warm place to another.  Outside I was always cold.  Maybe it was the fashion, maybe it was laziness,  but much to my mother's chagrin,  I resisted going though the motions of dressing properly for winter.  As a kid in Chicago, I wore running shoes in the snow.  I lost gloves as quickly as they were replaced.  I remember freezing as I ran to the bus, bare legged, short jacket, a scarf, no hat, the temperature was 20 below Fahrenheit.   In winter I expected to be cold.

As a married 20 something I moved to Toronto, Canada, known to me as "the great snowy north, cold and foreboding."   As my first winter approached, I was determined to meet and beat the challenge of a fierce Canadian winter.  I laughed and thought, "Now that I'm here maybe I should at least get some real boots and a warm coat". 

In the late 1960's vintage fur was coming into vogue.  This was well before the animal rights movement. So, you could wear fur and not invite snide remarks like  "You're wearing the skin of an animal, ya know!".  Back then fashion was more peaceful.

In the Toronto Garment District  there were countless vintage furriers with hundreds of coats and jackets.  I passed one store with a big sign in the window.  "Vintage Coats and Jackets $20 each $30 for 2."  "Oh My God" I thought.  "Am I gonna be the owner of TWO fur coats?"  With great anticipation I entered the store.  The main floor was pristine with manikins displaying the latest in fur fashion.  Back in the corner there was a sign "Vintage This Way".   The real sale was in the basement.  Carefully I negotiated the creaky stairs.   As I reached the bottom I was hit with the over-powering musty smell of old fur.   My excitement overrode the discomfort and dove in. 

 I perused the endless racks of beaver and mink, chinchilla and mouton coats and jackets.  There was even a men's big old raccoon coat.  All that was needed was a megaphone to complete a 1920's look.   

I was attracted to the soft feel of sheared beaver.  I looked for black.  I felt the fur and started my search.  "No, this is too big"  "No, the skins are too dry and hard"  "No, the lining is ripped".  "Too short"  Too long".  Then, I tried on "my coat".  It was perfect, black sheared beaver, the right size and almost ankle length.

 I thought, "So this is one.  The sign said I can get another for just $10 more".  That kind of deal was irresistible.  I decided I really didn't need TWO fur coats so I finally found a finger-tip length beaver jacket.  I bought a matching fur hat and muff to complete my winter ensemble.  

Now I needed boots.  I decided to go to Eaton's Department Store downtown.  On the main floor I walked past customers testing perfume, trying on jewellery, selecting just the right colour lipstick.  I finally reached the shoe department.   There I saw  "my boot", a simple flat fur lined knee-high pull up.    An older man who probably sold shoes at Eaton's forever approached me.  "I'd like to try this one in size 9".   "Certainly", he said. "Please sit over here".  He brought out my boot with another of similar design to provide me with a choice.   I tried on "my boot"...perfect.  I paid and headed to the front door.  On my way I passed the belt department.  I thought, "The coat is big and kinda baggy.  A wide soft leather belt will pull it all together".   So I bought that too.

Now I was ready for "the great snowy north, cold and foreboding ".  Impatiently I waited for the "the weather" to catch up with me.  Then came the prediction of the first frosty morning.  On mild days I would walk the kilometer to the school where I taught, now my challenge was to meet and beat the fierce legendary Canadian winter.  With commitment I said, "Tomorrow I will walk to school in the cold".

Like a warrior I prepared for combat.  I had a good night's sleep.  I ate high protein eggs for breakfast.  My attitude was positive.  I was ready to battle the weather.   First I slipped on my new fur lined boots.  Next, I put on my beaver coat. It felt so good, so warm, so comforting.   As planned, my belt secured my flowing coat.   I slipped on my bushy fur hat.  I threw my backpack over my shoulder, grabbed my beaver muff and headed for the door.  I was ready.

The temperature was  -14C.   I stepped outside and started to walk.  Amazingly I felt nothing, not the cold, not the wind.  I was toasty warm.  For the entire walk, the weather never penetrated my fur armor.  Astonished I thought, "WOW, I'm not cold."

At that moment winter opened her warm arms and I walked in with a new attitude.  After suffering through years of winter, cold and uninspired, I came to the simple realization, "If I'm cold I'm just not wearing the right clothes."  

The most direct route to my school took me through Cabbage Town.  It was a rough area, working poor, welfare families, drunks and addicts.  And here was me, fur head to toe.   I caught my reflection in a store window and thought "You look like a character right out of Dr. Zhivago."    While I felt uncomfortable thinking I looked like the Czarina, I'm sure people on the street thought I just looked weird.

My use of fur has gone the way of the Dodo.  Technology and fashion have merged so that we don't need fur to keep us warm.  We can wear a man-made coat and be protected from the weather as well if not better than my Czarina costume.

Is winter conquered...not quite?  No, slippin and a sliding and a fallin,  the final challenge is THE ICE.  



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Comments

  1. Another great story redolent of sixties Toronto. So many of those great stores and landmarks are now gone. It is beautiful the way you brought them back to life for me.

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