Flower Power

By Kristen Spina
Photographed by Jon Moe
Hair and Makeup Bruce Dean

Floral motifs have walked hand-in-hand with fashion trends throughout the long timeline of history. From the Tulips of the Ottoman Empire to the silk roses of Christian Dior to the many renditions of 21st century flower power, the blooming magnificence of florals in fabric, lace, embroidery, beading, and accessory design is a perennial theme.

Flowers are accessible, relatable objects of beauty. A symbol of renewal, love, and hope, they are a timeless, ageless expression of personal style — one that has been embraced over and over again, from ancient civilizations to modern couture. The theme is eternal, passed down from generation to generation in a way that has transformed clothing and accessories from purely functional items to objects of desire.

Citizens of the Greek and Roman empires wore wreaths and garlands to adorn their garments, Native Americans used intricate floral beadwork to decorate moccasins, bags, and the cuffs and hemlines of their clothing, and the royal courts of Europe embraced crowns and jewelry modeled on florals and cascading vines.

Fashion’s love affair with flowers has led to countless iconic moments. In 2018, the House of Boucheron debuted its Nature Triomphante jewelry collection which included a selection of rings featuring actual petals of roses, hydrangeas, poppies, and anemones. The technique used to stabilize the petals — a closely guarded trade secret — protects them from humidity, water, and heat. The treated petals were then combined with precious stones for the pistil and precious metal for the stamen. The results, representing a new chapter in the history of naturalistic jewelry, enabled the French jeweler to take the ephemeral beauty of a fragile live petal and transform it into an everlasting piece of adornment.

And while the Nature Triomphante collection — a precursor to Boucheron’s 2025 Untamed Nature diamond collection — may be an example of the closest high jewelry has ever come to duplicating flora, there is no shortage of floral design in the larger realm of accessories.

For spring, look for a resurgence of gold and colored gemstones in jewelry design. Feathery peony petal bracelets, delicate hanging orchid earrings, and necklaces mimicking draping vines of ivy are making a statement. Silk flowers elevate lapel collars and hat brims, embroidered gardens adorn shoes and sneakers, and intricate beadwork turns bags — for both day and evening— into works of art.

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