Feather Boas

So lately, I've had this interest in Feather Boas. They're are just so many options and colors and it is such a glamourous accessory.

A feather boa is a fashion accessory that is usually worn wrapped around the neck like a scarf.

A boa may be made of fur, but it is usually made from various types of feathers: Ostrich, marabou, chandelle and turkey are the most common feathers used although non-feather boas are also available. Feathers used go through bleaching and/or dyeing processes and are glued and stitched into lengths called "ply". Sometimes more natural boas are produced. A lightweight chandelle boa may only weigh 65g while a 24 ply ostrich boa may weigh 200g. The more ply, the fluffier and thicker the boa. Boas are generally measured by weight (grammes), length and ply.




Types of feather boas

Ostrich — Thousands of long thin feather strands woven into ply are used to construct these very fluffy boas. These form the larger, Las Vegas showgirl type boas, as when they are coloured and woven into many ply, they can look very dramatic even at a distance.

Turkey — Many larger flat turkey feathers form these heavier boas which might weigh 120-180g and reach 30 cm in diameter.

Marabou — The fine down from marabou is used to form these very thin, and very fluffy boas.

Chandelle — Smaller feathers or "flats" from the turkey are used to create these lighter boas with smaller diameters.