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Show 1 v , i; . v - s V A : Fur designer Robert Scheckner opened his first Utah shop Nov. 15 at the Park Hotel. The functional raccoon coat he is wearing has zip-off sleeves. ii in ir j i i ii if N Jl 1 1 One of Scleckner's top managers, Janet Prado, shows how furs can be fun. This dolman-sleeved Givenchy jamcePerry jacket is a combination of gray and white mink and feels feather-light. Wlheire cam yoy weair hire? Everywhere! by JANICE PERRY Record editor Those who think of furs as stodgy and only for evening wear haven't seen the stylish, functional designs featured at Robert Scheduler's new fur shop at the Park Hotel. Innovative combinations of furs, textures and colors combine with a variety of styles, ranging from comfortable com-fortable dolman-sleeved jackets to full-length, hooded traditional coats. Many of the coats are Scheckner's designs, but others are the creations of such well-known designers as Carole Little, Christian Dior, Anne Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Chloe and Givenchy. The coats range in price from $395 for curly Spanish Lamb jackets to $25,000 for some of his full-length furs. There has been an explosion of interest in-terest in and buying of furs in recent re-cent years, Scheckner said. . "Sales of furs have increased! maybe five times over the past five years," said the furrier, who lqung- ed comfortably in a raccoon jacket " with zip-off sleeves one of Scheckner's fur designs for men. Other designs include a knee-length coyote and unshorn beaver coats. Scheckner is excited about the changes in the industry. "The fur industry in-dustry has done two things," he explained. ex-plained. "The price of furs is less than what it used to be because most of these with rare exceptions are raised on farms. "The combination of breeding them intelligently and new manufacturing manufac-turing methods has resulted in the prices of furs being less than what it used to be." He estimated 95 percent ' of his furs are farm-grown and notes . he sells no furs from endangered species. Scheckner is no newcomer to the ; fur industry. "I've been in the t manufacturing business for 27 years and primarily what I did was manufacture a line of furs sold to fur stores, department stores and specialty stores." But 10 years ago, he struck out on his own and opened his own retail outlets, called Furs by Robert Scheckner. Today he has 25 shops in the United States. The newest opened open-ed in Park City Nov. 15. Part of the current boom in fur-buying fur-buying comes from the so-called Yuppie generation, Scheckner said. But he noted that many women today to-day have their own incomes and buy themselves furs, rather than waiting for furs as gifts from husbands or boyfriends. The United States, he said, now m has eclipsed all other nations in fur consumption. "It used to be West Germany, Canada and Japan," he said. "It's not unusual today for a woman to have a fur wardrobe," he said. And men also are beginning to appreciate ap-preciate furs. "It's exciting to see," he said. "When a man tries on a fur, he's intrigued by the feel of it. We're designing more masculine furs and certainly up here (in Park City) they make a lot of sense." And today's furs are versatile. "A woman can wear a coat with jeans during the day and put on a gown at night and wear the same fur," he said. The durability of furs, he said, make them a good investment. "With rare exceptions, most people peo-ple absolutely tire of them before they wear them out. Many women will have a fur eight to 10 years and will bring them in and we'll restyle them," he said. Business aside, Scheckner said he has fallen in love with Park City. "I must tell you, I've never been to a community where I've made friends so quickly it's just been fantastic," he said, noting he has taken out a long-term lease on a local condominium and plans to make Park City a second home. |