My maternal grandparents gave me a white rabbit fur muff when I was a child in the 1960s, which began a fascination for me in the realm of historical fashion. While the muff (from the Dutch word mof) has morphed in size and composition, it dates back to the sixteenth century with fur construction for both men and women as a means of staving off chilblains. The Regency period highly exaggerated the size of the muff, while its use became strictly feminine at that time, and then the muff fell out of favor with changing times. Today’s humanitarian viewpoint shuns the use of animal skins for fashion statements, but fortunately fiber is ours for artistic expression while providing necessary warmth. The miraculous fulling process of wool produces a cozy modern muff with textural interest provided by seed-stitch accents
and glowing embroidery details—all sweet as fondant. The muff is presented here with a matching hat of exotic shaping to beguile another young generation.