The Finest Flower Crowns of All Time
Few devices have excited such commentary, for and against, than the flower crown, so trendy of late amongst the neo-hippie festival crowd. Regardless of detractors, these ornamental headpieces, whose history in folklore and art can be traced back to ancient civilizations, show no indications of fading from favor.
It's a look that has roots. In agrarian societies, connected to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had terrific symbolic meaning. Used for practical and ritualistic reasons, they might show status and accomplishment (see Olympic olive wreaths). The language of flowersand herbs was popular, with each carrying its own significance. ("There's rosemary, that's for remembering. Please keep in mind, love. And there are pansies, they're for thoughts," states Ophelia in Hamlet.) Loaded with significance, floral headdresses were woven into the sartorial and social traditions of locations as distant as Russia and Hawaii.
With increasing industrialization, the flower crown became a romantic indication of the simple "nation" life (longed for, in an elegant version, by Marie Antoinette) and significantly appreciated for its ornamental value. While bride-to-bes continued the ceremonial customs of flower-wearing, it was the earth-mother hippies who have most affected the accessory's present incarnation. Discovering themselves partying rather than raking, these flower children would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to represent their connection to nature.
In still more current years, the flowers have actually even taken a subversive turn on the runways, with Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy adorning models with burnished coronets and cast-metal petals-- and letting loose a fresh wave of flower mania amongst the style flock at the same time. In honor of the summer season solstice, an inspiring appearance back at flower crowns throughout history.
In agrarian societies, tied to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had terrific symbolic meaning. With increasing industrialization, the flower crown ended Check This Out up being a romantic sign of the easy "nation" life (longed for, in a stylized variation, by Marie Antoinette) check over here and progressively valued for its decorative worth. Finding themselves partying rather than raking, these flower kids would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to represent their connection to nature.