Tails?

[Lady Mac]

Adding to what Bonny said earlier; anyone heard the term "flea fur?" A piece of fur was worn
to attract fleas and lice to keep them off or away from the body.

[The Lady Mercedes]

I have one because I saw people wearing them & while I didn't get it, I figured they were part of the whole thing so I got one. I happen to like wearing it! The thing that gets me is I've also seen people wearing one mundanely...why?!

[Lady Rosaline]

I have been wearing tails for years. I love mine and have quite the collection of them. I have been asked many times why I wear them and the answer is simply I like them. Though I usually come up with some witty answer depending on who is asking.

[jeremiah sullivan]

EVERY GOOD LOOKIN WOMAN NEEDS A LITTLE TAIL

[DonaCatalina]

Actually Scarborough has a vetted merchant contract so that they don't end up with too many merchants selling the same thing. I have it direct from marketing that the merchant in question had not submitted a request to sell tails. There are still other merchants at Scarborough who will be selling tails, just not the one who decided unilaterally to add tails to the merchandise lineup.

[Muffin]

Adding to what Bonny said earlier; anyone heard the term "flea fur?" A piece of fur was worn
to attract fleas and lice to keep them off or away from the body.

I've used this as an explanation too when people ask "why do you have a tail".. I don't know for sure if it is actually true that they were used as flea catchers, but I always end the conversation with "and they are fun!" 

[redkimba]

EVERY GOOD LOOKIN WOMAN NEEDS A LITTLE TAIL

note to self - do not read board while drinking hot tea.  ::mops off monitor::

[Rowan MacD]

Adding to what Bonny said earlier; anyone heard the term "flea fur?" A piece of fur was worn
to attract fleas and lice to keep them off or away from the body.

I have always thought of  'flea furs' and 'Tails' as two separate entities. 
  'Flea furs' or 'Zebellini' (those decorated pelts hanging form a Lady's girdle) are an historically accurate accessory, while tails are just worn for fun, or at best to gently ape the Noble's garb.
  You might see Tails in every color of the rainbow (and some impossible ones) but I have yet to see Zibellini in any color but natural critter, and some are gorgeous works of art. 
  from wiki:
  "The traditional costume historian's term for this accessory, flea-fur, is from the German Flohpelz, coined by Wendelin Boeheim in 1894, who was the first to suggest that the furs were intended to attract fleas away from the body of the wearer.  There is no historical evidence to support this unlikely claim. Italians simply called these accessories "zibellini", their word for sables, and speakers of other languages called them "martens", "sables" or "ermines" in their native tongues.."
   

[isabelladangelo]

Adding to what Bonny said earlier; anyone heard the term "flea fur?" A piece of fur was worn
to attract fleas and lice to keep them off or away from the body.

Sorry, but it's actually a Renn Fairism -to a point.  The actual zebellini were an entire animal -not just the tail- that were heavily decorated.   http://katerina.purplefiles.net/FlorenceFiles/FLAccessoriesZEBELLINI.html

Having just the tail on you meant you were truly insane (hospital worthy) -as in the case of my first post here. 

[Adriana Rose]

that is full of geed info!

And is it just me or does the recreation look like a pomeranian?

[gem]

Fleas eat blood. They know the difference between something dead like a shock of fur, and something living, like a nice warm human body.

[Rowan MacD]

Fleas eat blood. They know the difference between something dead like a shock of fur, and something living, like a nice warm human body.

True any fleas in a 'Flea-fur' would just be waiting to make the jump to a new host.. Ick.
 
  I wonder if the Zebellini are related in any way to sables and ermines that were are part of a rich nobles' wardrobe in the Renaissance, or if they are the same thing?

  I was always under the impression that 'sables' were fur pieces designed to be pinned to the over sleeves during the winter.  Henry VIII gifted Catherine Howard with 'sables' that belonged to a previous queen, and I don't think they were meant to be reworked into other garments, but were seperate add-ons.   The wiki article said that Zebellini were  also called 'ermines' or 'sables'.....

[Rowan MacD]

that is full of geed info!

And is it just me or does the recreation look like a pomeranian?

It's does...Kinda creepy.     I think I like the metal heads much better.

[LadyAsh]

lol my mom and my uncle's girlfriend asked about the tails when we went to faire. I told her "it's a rennie thing, you wouldn't understand."

Unfortunately, they do not like the tails. I love them though, and think they're cute!

[LAVAGODDESSSS]

 There is sort of a new boom of tail styles coming out lately as well.  Some styles remind me of what you might wear if you were attending a masquerade event, etc.

Hey, can you explain this?