Fashion Meets Floristry: Blooms and Style Collide

The worlds of fashion and floristry have long shared a creative dialogue, inspiring each other through color, texture, and movement. Traditionally fashion meets floristry in the form of fabric and garments. From the opulent floral embroidery of haute couture to fresh blooms gracing the runway, the fusion of these two art forms continues to redefine style. At heart I am a fashion girlie. Although I live and breathe flowers, I do quite enjoy a good fashion moment. What I love both about fashion and floristry is that they are both ways to express ourselves in terms of creativity which showcases who we are as individuals. As I find my way through the floristry industry, I am simultaneously making my mark. I am delighted to discover that there is a space just for me as a fashion lover and a floral designer.

One fashion moment that I have always enjoyed is the Met Gala. Every year, I tune in to see the creativity unlocked and unleashed. It is so exciting to see who will be attending and how they will translate the theme of the year into fashion.

The Met Gala: A Legacy of Fashion Innovation

The Met Gala, often dubbed “fashion’s biggest night,” is an annual fundraising gala benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Since its inception in 1948, the event has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, where designers, celebrities, and artists showcase breathtaking couture in response to a chosen theme.

Each year, the gala pushes the boundaries of creativity, transforming the red carpet into an exhibition of art, storytelling, and craftsmanship. It’s a night where fashion becomes more than attire—it becomes a statement, a movement, and a vision of the future.

The 2024 Met Gala embraced the theme “The Garden of Time,“ drawing inspiration from J.G. Ballard’s short story about fleeting beauty and nature’s ephemeral elegance. The night was a testament to botanical opulence, with flowing gowns, intricate floral appliqués, and fresh blooms woven into the fabric of couture. This year as I looked at the final looks, I was in awe and felt inspired to create.

Here are some of my favorite looks from the Met Gala 2024

Take a look at how I translated these looks into floral arrangements.

So many looks awed and wowed me. There were quite a few that stunned me speechless, and my creative juices started flowing. So much so that I thought, what would those dresses look like as floral arrangements? The answer…I tasked myself into translating these runway moments into sculptural botanical designs created floral interpretations of the gowns that spoke to me the most. My designs started with the aspects that triggered my senses, color, movement, and texture. The bicolor of the lemon and lime green from Maria Sharapova’s Atelier Prabal Gurung gown first captured my attention but then I loved the dichotomy of the drapiness and structured elements of the gown. This gown was the spark that ignited my idea to start Fashion Meets Floristry. The finished floral interpretation was achieved with the wispiness of parrot tulips and geometric structure of the lime green anthuriums This was my favorite floral interpretation that I created.

My second favorite was the Balmain dress worn by Tyla. This dress captured my attention because of the texture. The strapless dress was custom made to hug every inch of the singer’s body before it flared out into an organza mermaid train. This gown was made with three colors of sand and mixed with micro crystal studs. My floral interpretation was achieved with the elusive Toffee roses that I was able to source from the San Franciso Flower Market while in San Francisco for a workshop. I then highlighted the graininess of the sand with a birch vessel also from the San Francisco Flower Market. Creating these floral interpretations were truly a joy and just the right spark of creative ingenuity that I needed.

At Hiawathia Floral Design Co., we explore this dynamic relationship through our Fashion Meets Floristry series, where we merge botanical artistry with the fashion world. Whether it’s floral-inspired couture, wearable blooms, or collaborations with designers and stylists, this series celebrates the beauty of floral storytelling in the realm of style.

Julia Rose: A Muse for Floral and Fashion Lovers

New York Fashion Week (abbreviated as NYFW) has always been the pinnacle of fashion and fashion enthusiasts. Gracing the runway each season in February and September In New York are creations by designers that showcase and highlight the creativity and evolution of fashion. From the textural sculptural black and blue looks at Michael Kors to the exhilarating, futuristic looks at Off White, and the playful optimistic looks at Carolina Herrera, the runway becomes a stage where fashion take on new life.

Often on the runway in times past, florals solely have their moment on printed fabric or adorn the venue. Florals are no longer just prints on fabric—they are worn, draped, and sculpted onto the body. At the most recent NYFW showcased on red carpet Runway 7 and Times Square, Australian designer Julia Rose, showed us what can be done when fashion and floristry collide. She took living flowers from @malimaecuador @jetfreshflowers @rosaprimaroses and greens from @premiumgreensaustralia and transformed them into wearable pieces of art.

Julia Rose’s Floral Couture creations are a breathtaking blend of nature and fashion, and I am beyond captivated by each look. She combines delicate blooms, vibrant petals, and lush greenery skillfully into dynamic floral creations that bring nature to life in front of our very eyes. This is the ultimate extravagant and captivating way to mix organic nature with high fashion.

Julia Rose‘s specialty lies in Floral Couture and interactive and immersive art installations. By doing so she has carved her very own niche of floral artistic expression. Her pieces transcend traditional fashion boundaries. Her floral couture designs demonstrate her skill in transforming ordinary flowers into exquisite pieces of artwork. These designs evoke both emotion and beauty.

In this article by Oasis Smith, a worldwide supplier of florists supplies since, shared some insights into how these floral-tastic designs became a reality. Julia’s mental image of a design starts with the model. The color of skin, line of jaw, palate, structure, length of legs, and width of chest establish the visual imagery. These elements then become her palette and canvas.

She starts her design process by pining the base layer of the costume onto a mannequin. Depending on the costume, the base layer might be constructed of Floral Mesh, Florist Netting (chicken wire), fabric, or actual clothing. She uses Bind Wire to hand sew flowers into a design.

One model had a round hairline and a pink round lip. “I gave him pink flowers and made the design round to match his actual hairline,” says Julia. She used gold Floral Mesh for the base because she wasn’t sure if I would be exposed or not. She used Design Master color spray to match the flowers’ color to the model’s lip. Adapting the design to showcase the model.

Through our Fashion Meets Floristry series, we explore how flowers can transform an outfit into an artistic statement, whether for an editorial, a runway moment, or a red-carpet look.

Let’s Collaborate: Fashion x Floristry

At Hiawathia Floral Design Co. we are inspired by floral designers such as Julia Rose who are redefining the boundaries of floristry by bringing it into the world of fashion. Whether it’s through Fashion Meets Floristry, our Cinema Meets Floristry series, or bespoke collaborations, we see flowers as an extension of personal style and artistic vision.

Much like the artistry of Julia Rose, the fusion of floristry and fashion is constantly shifting, reinventing itself with each season. From NYFW runways to editorial shoots and special events, we are excited to see how blooms will continue shaping the future of fashion.

Please be sure to follow Julia here to keep up with her bloom creations. https://www.instagram.com/flowersbyjuliarose

✨ Let’s create something unforgettable. If you’re a designer, stylist, photographer, or creative visionary looking to incorporate florals into your next project, we’d love to collaborate.

📩 Contact Hiawathia Floral Design Co. to bring your vision to life with florals that transform fashion into living art.