Lately fashion is referring to the natural world of plants, flowers and animals. Think of Chanel’s Haute Couture show in January, showing summer dresses in vibrant greens, fascinator hats that looked like blossoms and a catwalk design that reminded us of the Jardin de Bagatelle in Paris. All taken inside the Grand Palais, where Chanel shows mostly their couture in a perfect prop design.
The New York-based leather and fashion label Mansur Graviel introduces their first book project populated with plants and animals showing impressions of a flower market in LA and flowers among their signature bucket bags, which become objects of desire when filled with ranunculus and roses.
Not to forget the recently opened Gucci Garden in Florence, their signature house with their first three-Michelin-star Osteria Francescana where you can order a green salad that looks as if just picked in a farmer’s garden outside.
The bazaar-like retail space offers products exclusively designed for the Gucci Garden and not on sale in any other Gucci store. When purchased, they are wrapped in a special blooming design. You can even find a collection of books – both current niche titles and antique tomes – which come from the Antica Libreria Cascianelli in Rome, and just imagine going to a lush garden after shopping and reading a favourite book.
The associations with gardens and nature makes us reconnect, takes us steps away from digital ideas and concepts and we are loving it. Maybe because fashion needs to calm and slow down a bit or maybe because humans always feel close to nature, the source of life.
So why do we prefer floral prints on our dresses, flower installations on catwalks like Ulla Johnson’s Spring 2018 collection? One thing is certain, flowers make our life beautiful, a green surrounding relaxes our mind and eyes, and the association with natural beauty makes us feel and use all our senses, and that is the essence of fashion, don’t you agree?
Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2018 at Le Grand Palais, a Mansur Graviel bucket bag for their spring collection, Mary Katrantzou takes her collection to an English garden for resort 18