Making Claudio: Multipurpose Fur and Other Questions

Hello again all. Long time no see. ^^;;

Once again, here's the bird I'm going for:



I mostly sure I have an idea on where I want to go with the purple- DF's Solid Long Hair- but the white's eluding me. I'd like something with the length, straightness, and softness of Monkey Shag but with the ability to stand up to the clippers. While the fingers and toes are short pile, Claude's cheeks have to be floofy, and I'd naturally get the assurance of all of the white being the same hue if I could find such a fur.

But so far, the other white fur I've sampled with Monkey Shag's length- Fabric Empire's Ivory Mongolian and DF's Extra Long Hair- have been too stringy and wild, and no amount of brushing will make them as visually appealing (For all I know, they're probably the same thing; just a different name). I'm not opposed to investing in two different whites; After all, Sy's White Shaggy seems like it'd be good for the short pile, and Monkey Shag seems recommended for accents. But for such a comparatively small part of the costume I figured it'd make more money sense to have one white for everything and alter it accordingly. Any suggestions?

Also, how well as these furs at shaving? As I said, I'm mostly sure I have an idea about the purple, but there's two others that feel just as appealing: Fabric Empire's Shaggy, which has a softer backing than the DF anyway, and DF's Extra Long Hair, also with a softer backing.

Should the backing be soft anyway? I'm not sure. o.o

Meanwhile, I should get back to re-taping the head. The more I do so and think about it, the more I find ways to simplify the seams. Thanks again everyone. <3