No Burying Your Head in the Sand: The Ostrich’s Gifts

For the record, according to National Geographic, ostriches don’t bury their head in the sand; it only looks that way. They bring their heads close to the ground when they sense danger, to make themselves look small—not easy to do, given that they’re the largest birds on earth.

image by Carsten Peter for National Geographic

Ostriches are such beautiful and elegant creatures and they remind me so much of models. They’ve got long necks, long legs, huge eyes framed by really long lashes, and pouty beaks. They’ve got bouncy, flamboyant feathers, and their runway walk—fierce!

These beautiful fowls, native to Africa and the Middle East, are now grown in farms all over the world for their feathers, skin, meat (their red meat is the healthy, cholesterol-free alternative to beef), and eggs. Ostriches therefore not only serve as design inspiration, but also as material and medium for myriad products to which they lend their fabulous style.

image from cagayanon.org

from an ostrich farm near where I live.

Leather

Ostrich leather has a distinctive dotty texture which is mighty fascinating on belts, shoes and bags. Designers agree!

Men's Dress Ostrich Belt by Wolfbrand.ca

The Louis Vuitton Beauty Pump in ostrich leather image from rawshoes.wordpress.com

Blue Jean Ostrich Roma Satchel Bag by Victor Hugo

Aaah, the inimitable Hermes Birkin—in saffron-colored ostrich leather.

Feathers

Feast your eyes on the fluffy wonder of these fine-feathered ostrich accessories.

An ostrich feather accessory that can be worn on the arm, around the neck, head, or ankle

by LIAISON original. SWANKY LUXE 4 Way Convertible Ostrich Feather Accessory (head, neck, wrist, ankle).

from stylepalace.com

Eggs

Ostrich eggs have shells 1/8 of an inch thick, and have a ceramic-like quality. They are cream-colored and translucent, hard and tough. Artists have long been drawn to these eggs, and have carved them, painted them, or made them into lamps.