Houston native Cesar Galindo creates couture designs with his namesake label and kicky contemporary clothes under his Czar line. But he never thought after designing a fur collection until a longtime friend whose family has been in the fur business for three decades recently asked him to try his hand at reimagining pelts.
"In today's climates, you layer things," he says. "You can wear these to the dinner table. It's almost like a shrug."
The result is a new collection that puts a modern twist on the traditional fur. It features one-of-a-kind pieces fashioned from vintage fur coats that range from a raccoon shoulder bag with a hidden pocket to hold a cell phone, which retails for $600, to a mink T-shirt lined in denim, at $4,900. He even created a fur-trimmed wine bag to transport your favorite libation to the next party ($280).
Galindo chopped off traditional fur coats to create vests, halters and boleros that are meant to be worn almost like an accessory. "In today's climates, you layer things," he says. "You can wear these to the dinner table. It's almost like a shrug."
He replaced satin linings with denim for a more modern look and, in some cases, as in a raccoon jacket, designed it so the raw edges of denim peek out of the back hem. A fox vest has deep armholes so it can be worn over a sweater or leather jacket. "It's something you can have fun with," he says.
He also created hoodies in fox and beaver, with a drawstring so you can tighten it up around the face, and an airy white Mongolian lamb and shaved mink jacket that can even be worn on a boat in the cool spring or while dining out al fresco in Houston on a mild night.
"It sounds abstract, but it's what people are doing," Galindo says. "It's really not about the temperature or the season. It's the little edge that they want."
The collection is for sale through the holidays at Sloan/Hall in Houston and San Antonio.
Cesar Galindo models a drawstring fur hoodie.
