A Little Piece of History...

As a costume designer, a big part of my job revolves around history.  Often I feel like a detective, ferreting out obscure facts about far away places and long ago times.  Some times the history comes up and practically whacks me in the face.  

Today I saw something at work that reminded me of how much things have changed when it comes to what is acceptable in fashion and costuming.  To be a little more specific, I was introduced to the "fur room" today.  

As the name says, this is the room where they keep all of the furs.  I personally do not believe that animals should be killed for their furs.  The synthetic fabrics available today have really made the use of real fur unnecessary in my opinion.  I realize that in the past, most people did not feel this way, and that fur was used for warmth as well as decoration.  Some of these furs were nearly 100 years old, and have no doubt graced the silver screen numerous times.  A few of the things I saw in the room disturbed me a little bit, but on the whole I was actually kind of relieved that they had a safe room where they could protect and preserve these items.