Flowers with Style: Nature is Your One Stop Fashion Shop

FLOWERS WITH STYLE Stop Fashion Shop Nature Is Your One From hair to hats to dinner plates, flowers have been used as accent pieces and fashion accessories for centuries. But why? Let's take a look at the impact that flowers have historically had in the fashion world there's a story behind every blossom! ROUTONNIERE + THE How Is It Worn? The boutonniere (French for "buttonhole") is worn on a man's suit jacket, on the left lapel. The calyx of the flower (the bit between the stem and the flower, which protects the bud before the flower blooms) is inserted through the lapel buttonhole and is secured by a loop of fabric behind the lapel. What's The Story? Boutonnieres were once worn frequently, but today they are reserved for special occasions like weddings, proms, or funerals. Some believe that the boutonniere originated during the English Civil Wars, when they were worn to identify friends and foes. Others point to a more mundane origin - in the early 19th century, many coats folded over at the top to reveal the inside of top buttonhole. The boutonniere is theorized to bave evolved as a fashionable way of covering up an unsightly spot. Style Tips The lapel pin has largely replaced the boutonniere today. Carnations are the most common boutonniere. White is the most formal Gardenias are considered good replacements for the carnation, thanks to their pleasant scent. color, and red is sometimes used as an alternative. THE CORSAGE ; How Is It Worn? The name "corsage" comes from the French word for bodice, the part of a dress on which this. adornment was once traditionally worn. Today, corsages are more often worn on the wrist, arm, ankle, shoulder, or fingers. What's The Story? In ancient Greece, flowers and herbs were worn at weddings because their fragrance was thought to protect against evil spirits. The word "corsage" originated in the 15th century and referred to the shape or size of a person's body. It was used in the same way that "figure" is used today. It became more specific to a womans bust in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, men would sometimes bring a bouquet to the parents of a woman who they were courting. He would select a flower from this bouquet and attach it to his date's left shoulder - but when spaghetti strap and strapless dresses became more common, the corsage migrated to the wrist. Style Tips Nowadays, most women (or men!) buy their own corsages instead of being given them by their dates. So you have more control over how to match them to your dress or suit! There is no specific flower that is always in a corsage, so you can be as creative as you like with colors and styles. They are a formal accessory, but fake flowers are sometimes worn as. daily corsages. As a fashion statement, they have as much flexibility as any other bracelet! FLOWER CROWN * THE How Is It Worn? On the head, of course! A flower crown is also known as a wreath. What's The Story? The flower crown has a long and storied history. In ancient Greece, they were worn to honor the gods during ceremonies and special festivals. In art, gods and other divine figures were often depicted wearing wreaths. The laurel wreath was awarded to victorious army generals and respected public figures in ancient Rome. In Christianity, the wreath calls back to the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ during the Crucifixion and symbolizes eternal life. In China and Ukraine the flower crown was often used in weddings. In 1960s America, flower crowns were adopted by the hippie movement as symbols of peace and love. Style Tips Despite their long his- tory, flower crowns are considered excessive by many people today. Per- haps some of the holy power that people once associated them with still holds sway in our minds! When you do get a chance to wear one, you'll appreci- ate its flexibility. You can go simple with a crown of grass or vines, or get the biggest carnations, roses, and daisies that you can find and weave them together! It's easiest to dry your flowers first, and then glue them to a metal or wooden crown that you've made to fit your head comfortably. TANGO ROSE + THE How Is It Worn? While dancing the tango, one partner holds a rose in their mouth either by the lips or the teeth. In some depictions of tango, the rose is used as an accent and is passed from hand to hand, or lip to lip between partners. What's The Story? Holding a rose in your mouth is most strongly associated with the Argentine tango. It's considered a big cliché by tango aficionados, and the origins are very murky. Most agree that it was a Hollywood creation, but it's hard to pin down the exact film. The famous Italian-born American actor Rudolph Valentino was a popular sex symbol in the 1920s, and was known for using a red rose in his dance scenes. It was in his film Blood And Sand (1924) that he played a tango-dancing, bull-fighting, rose-biting womanizer. There is also a tango scene in Some Like It Hot (1959), which mentions roses and tango, Style Tips There are a few different ways you can go with a rose while dancing. First, colors: red symbolizes passion, white is for purity, and black is for death, if you're looking to make an artistic statement. Second, thorns: some believe that a thorny rose, being more difficult to grasp in the mouth, heightens the sexual tension between the dancers... especially if they're trying to pass the rose back and forth without hurting each other! But, if you're sane, you'll use a rose without thorns. BEHIND How Is It Worn? In Hawaii, Tahiti, and other Polynesian Islands, wearing the flower behind your right ear means that you're single and looking for love. Wearing it behind your left ear tells others that you're either married or unavailable. You can use hair clips or bobby pins to keep a flower in place. It's also popular to attach flowers to a comb or headband, so that it will pop out behind one ear. What's The Story? The most famous flower to wear behind Plumeria flowers are also one ear is the Hawaiian hibiscus. sometimes worn behind The practice of wearing one behind an ear to signify your relationship status arose in the mid-20th century as an ear in the same way. They're also tused to make leis. a way of promoting tourism to the Hawaiian Islands. Style Tips The hibiscus is traditionally yellow, but the Plumeria comes in purple, white, and all sorts of tropical colors. The best part about wearing one is that they match a good tan – so go out and get some sun to look your best with a hibiscus! IN THE How Is It Worn? As you might expect, the thicker the beard the more (and heavier) flowers you'll be able to stuff into it. For lighter facial hair, thin-stemmed and small blossomed buds are best. Then simply comb, fluff, and oil, and your beard is ready to have flowers woven into it. Washable paste can be used to hold flowers in place if your weaving skills are sub-par. What's The Story? This is a recent trend. The earliest pictures of men wearing flowers in their beards date back to 1977, making it an offsboot of the hippie obsession with flower crowns and other floral fashions. In popular culture, it's sometimes used in a "Nordic" fashion style – but don't be fooled. Norse raiders had bushy beards, but there's no evidence that they were dappled with daisies. Some fashionistas theorize that it's a smashing together of two ways beards have been viewed in the past. In the 19th century, beards were a way of conveying one's manliness or authority. Then, in '50s and '60s America, growing a beard became a way of protesting against the crop-cut and clean shaven look of the American military. Somehow those two combined to make the flower beard. Style Tips Small flowers with thin stems are the easiest to weave into a beard, so you'll be sticking with geraniums, baby's breath, statice, phlox, and similar flowers for the most part. There's no real limit to the flower beard. You can go for a sparse pattern or fill your cheeks with blossoms and it will still fit into the style. GARLANDS How Is It Worn? A garland is a chain of flowers strung together on string and worn around the neck like a necklace. Some Indian garlands, called gajra, are also worn by women in their hair, around or trailing from a bun or in a braid. What's The Story? In India, garlands are used to decorate statues of the Hindu gods and play an important role in almost Every religious festival, wedding, and funeral. The flowers used to make the garlands have their own religious significance, and include jasmine, champaka, lotus, lilies, chrysanthemum, roses, hibiscus, and others. Fruit, paper money, vegetables, and types of grass or leaves are also used depending on the circumstance. Ancient kings The garland has a deep history in Hawaii (where it's called a lei) and India. There are eight common ways to make a lei, and two types which are dis- tinguished by the type of vine or rope used to make it, the method of braiding, and how leafy in ap- pearance the lei is. The traditional "Na lei" was made with flowers like the common lei is today, but also sometimes with shells, teeth, and feathers. Na lei are ex- changed as gifts between friends and lovers, and are often worn like corsages. Polynesian chiefs would exchange lei made of maile, a Hawaiian plant in the dogbane family, as part of peace agreements. Custom dictates that a lei should never be thrown away in the trash, since they represent love and friendship. Instead, they should be respectfully returned to the place where the plants that compose it were gathered – hung in a tree, buried, or burned. once appointed special gardeners to grow flowers that would only be used for religious festivals and were forbidden to be sold. The Indian wedding garland is called a varmala, and represents beauty, happiness, love, and enthusiasm. Style Tips Different colors and flowers represent the different islands in Hawaii, while in India different flowers and garland styles are used to symbolize specific Hindu deities. Because garlands have spiritual significance, you should take care to understand what you're saying when you put one on. The Indian wedding tradition involves each partner wearing two garlands and exchanging one with each other to represent becoming two halves of a greater whole. 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