I was recently over at author
Catherine Delors blog where she posted this beautiful Fragonard painting L'hiver (Winter). Most people would focus on the poor child who is obviously getting the snot beat out of her by old man winter, but empathy went right out the window for me. I just wanted her muff. I had one similar as a child and I want it back.
You might think of muffs as a very feminine fashion, but in the early 1700s men wore muffs just as much as women. They were usually cloth muffs decorated with tons and tons of ribbons until one savvy Parisian furrier came up with an ingenious plan to give his business a boost. He gave one of those inferior cloth muffs to the local hangman. In the 18th century, no one was allowed to wear what the hangman wore so by wearing his new gift, he made cloth muffs go the way of
parachute pants. Undeterred, fashionistas flocked to their furriers to get nice, warm, fur muffs.
Flash forward over 200 years later to a little girl wearing her white muff to church every Sunday. I really miss that muff. Will someone please bring back the muff?
