Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-07
POPULARITY OF MoLFsKIN.
A Fur That Promises to Be the Fad Of
the Season.

From the New York Times.
With the Introduction of moleskin, which
is the fad of the season this year, there
have been brought out two other low priced
furs of similar appearance, the musk mole
and petit girls mole, making three practical
ly new furs, which is a rare occurrence in
one winter. The Introduction of moleskin
is an evolution. Fashion works in this
way, seldom making decided jumps. but
changing in a way which makes prognostf-
cations of what is to be worn from one
season to another possible. Last year the
market was inundated and the feminine
world clothed in squirrel skin, and it is still
much worn alone and in combinations. The
fur had not staying qualities for general
use, it was believed, but it had admirers,
for the soft gray was becoming to many
compilations Hence the French arbfters
of fashion have offered this year another
fur in gray, but of finer quality and with
a beautiful luSter.
Moleskin has been practically unknown
in this country. 1t is more familiar to Lon
don people, and has been used in England
for coat Innings we have, in previous
years, used the gray squirrel Many of the
skins that are used for fashionable furs
still come from Great Britain They may
be found irr many parts of many countries
for the mole is not a rare animal. The
finest skins. however, come from Siberia,
the colder countries giving, in these as in
other animals, the thickest, softest pelts.
The new fur has beauty that the squir-
rel cannot boast. Each hair has con-
formation like the cutting of fine dia
mond, which produces in the fur,
whole, exquisite shades, and it tones from
gray into green and into brown as it is
seen in different lights. For this reason it
Io1 tf,,l1 I,
and is frequently seen in this combina ton
and occasionally, though less often, with
brown.
Furriers say that the fad will not be of
long duration. for the skins are expensive,
not only from their small sze-they are
barely inches long when stretched-but
also because of the thinness and delicacy
of the texture, which causes it to crack
and break The greater number if not all,
of the skins must be mended after they
are dressed before they are made up.
In its wake the moleskin has brought the
two other furs which resemble it in APP
pearance and are sometimes said to be imi-
tations. They are really individual skins
sold at much lower prices One of these,
in plain language, is simply ratskin,
variety of muskrat, and is what is known
as the musk mole, the mole lending it's
name to give it standing. This is of a
similar gray color, a heavier coarser fur,
and can be seen in the made pieces a
much larger skin. 1t also comes from Rus
STA. 1t is inexpensive, and where at a
first-class furrier's a moleskin muff will
cost from $40 to S43, musk mole muff can
be bought for So. 1t makes attractive
fur, and its wearing qualities are much
better than those of the finer skin.
The third fur is our old friend the squr-
rel or, as it was called by the French,
petit girls, little gray. In its new form this
year it is called petit girls mole. 1t is the
squirrel skin clipped, the shorter hair Civ
ing it molelike effect. The fad of last
year, which has by no means died out, still
holds the squirrel skin up in price, and the
clipped squirrel is more expensive than the
long-haired. While a muff of the latter
will cost SIG, of the new style, petit
girls mole, will cost $50.