Boas For Vegans

Cynthia Gibb in Modern Girls

Having taken a day off to prepare for tonight's show and this weekend's trip to Fresno, I needed background noise while cleaning and sewing.  I found Modern Girls on Netflix Instant, a 1980's movie with just enough plot that I won't get irritated by being in the same room as the television but not enough plot that I'm actually going to miss some life changing moment.  It's good, clean fun.  I was surprised to see Cynthia Gibb's character donning an eccentric, colorful, vegan boa.

I've been asked by students and colleagues about feather boa substitutes that are vegan.  Sioux du Jour has a lovely tulle boa that resembles a long, glorious bath scrubbie with pailettes.  April Showers has a tulle boa that has exposed tulle edges, giving it more of an ostrich boa look than Sioux's boa that resembles a turkey boa.  These are great substitutions that are stage worthy.  There are also great fuzzy yarns that can be knitted into a really long scarf as a feather boa substitute.  I made a keyhole scarf for myself in my pre-burlesque days that looks a bit like maribou.

The boa from Modern Girls is another great substitute.  It looks more like coque feathers than turkey or ostrich.  This boa is made from multi-colored silk leaves, attached to a thin shawl.  I theorize you could make a vegan boa from silk flowers, stitching the blooms close together along a cord or ribbon.  You'd have to be sure you didn't have any bare spots.

If you have any great vegan boa finds, please let me know so I can pass along the info to other showgirls in need.