The Finest Flower Crowns of All Time
Few devices have excited such commentary, for and against, than the flower crown, so trendy of late among the neo-hippie festival crowd. In spite of detractors, these ornamental headpieces, whose history in mythology and art can be traced back to ancient civilizations, reveal no signs of fading from favor.
It's a look that has roots. In agrarian societies, connected to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had great symbolic significance. Worn for useful and ceremonial factors, they could highlight status and achievement (see Olympic olive wreaths). The language of flowersand herbs was well-known, with each bring its own meaning. ("There's rosemary, that's for keeping in mind. Please remember, love. And there are pansies, they're for ideas," says Ophelia in Hamlet.) Loaded with significance, floral headdresses were woven into the social and sartorial customs of destinations as far-off as Russia and Hawaii.
With increasing industrialization, the flower crown ended up being a romantic sign of the easy "country" life (wished for, in a stylized variation, by Marie Antoinette) and increasingly valued for its decorative worth. While brides continued the ritualistic traditions of flower-wearing, it was the earth-mother hippies who have actually most influenced the device's current version. click site Finding themselves partying rather than raking, these flower children would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to symbolize their connection to nature.
In still more recent years, the blossoms have even taken a subversive turn on the runways, with Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy adorning designs with burnished coronets and cast-metal petals-- and releasing a fresh wave of flower mania among the fashion flock while doing so. In honor of the summer solstice, a motivating look back at flower crowns throughout history.
In agrarian societies, connected to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had great symbolic significance. With increasing industrialization, the flower crown became a romantic sign of the basic "country" life (longed for, in an elegant useful reference version, by Marie Antoinette) and significantly appreciated for its ornamental value. Discovering themselves partying rather than raking, these flower children would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to symbolize their connection to nature.