What do celebrity vegans wear instead of leather?

What do celebs like Pamela Anderson and Alicia Silverstone, both vegans and PETA advocates, wear in lieu of leather couture, such as shoes, belts and handbags?

By Leslie Gornstein Jan 21, 2006 8:00 AMTags
What do celebs like Pamela Anderson and Alicia Silverstone, both vegans and PETA advocates, wear in lieu of leather couture, such as shoes, belts and handbags?

By: Jennifer, Baltimore

A.B. Replies: How can you think of such idle questions after the torrent of mysteries unleashed at the Golden Globes a few days ago? Why did Candice Bergen's hair look pink? Who told Gwyneth Paltrow that combing her hair would give her unborn baby an incurable wasting disease? Why does Zach Braff look startled all the time?

Well, okay. You're question is pretty important given that, according to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, pigs and cows are often skinned, or dipped into scalding water while still alive, all in the name of fashion. Let's save some of those little pink curly tails, shall we?

A spokeswoman for Silverstone tells this B!tch, "Alicia wears pleather (fake leather) and faux fur. There are many choices out there for clothing and accessories that are cruelty free."

In fact, Silverstone recommends designer Stella McCartney. Her spokeswoman says, "She is completely vegan."

Indeed, this B!tch has no doubt that a jacket made out of Ms. McCartney's hide would be both soft and functional.

The pleather thing really intrigued this B!tch, so I had the B!tchling dig up some factoids on that, too.

Pleather is the generic term for faux leatheresque materials--inventions like Naugahyde, which feels like tanned animal skin. If Naugahyde has ever been dipped in scalding hot water, that's fine by it. The stuff was never alive to begin with. This miracle material has the same leathery texture of Harrison Ford's face--always desirable in a wallet or handbag--without threatening the kind of bad karma that comes with pissing off Pam Anderson.

On that front, Anderson's spokespeople tell us they are "on hiatus" with the actress at the moment. But as for what Anderson might wear instead of leather, she probably recommends her own shoe line, Pamela Anderson Footwear, which debuted a little over a year ago. This B!tch has no idea if the business is still officially around, but Pam's shoe creations are running at deep discounts on the Internet. The shoes have power-sexy names like Knock Out and Superslide, and one pair of stiletto boots is hot pink with black lace at the ankle, with a little pink bow on top of that, and all kinds of kisses and prayers from Pam on top of that. Remember, no animals were harmed in the making of these items, unless you count the spontaneous bleeding from my corneas that started moments after I first saw them.

Pleathery shoes are available for the buying at sites like MooShoes.com. Or check out the Frank Lloyd Wright sandal McCartney is selling for spring '06. They're made of something so expensive that there are no prices on McCartney's site. But be comforted, it's definitely not hamster.