The Best Flower Crowns of All Time
Few devices have excited such commentary, for and against, than the flower crown, so fashionable of late among the neo-hippie celebration crowd. In spite of detractors, these ornamental headpieces, whose history in mythology and art can be traced back to ancient civilizations, show no signs of fading from favor.
It's an appearance that has roots. In agrarian societies, tied to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had terrific symbolic meaning. Used for practical and ritualistic reasons, they might show status and achievement (see Olympic olive wreaths). The language of flowersand herbs was widely 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, flower 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 basic "country" life (wished for, in a stylized variation, by Marie Antoinette) and increasingly 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. Finding themselves partying instead of plowing, these flower kids would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to signify their connection to nature.
In still more current years, the blooms have actually 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 useful reference societies, tied to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had excellent symbolic meaning. With increasing industrialization, the flower crown ended up being a romantic sign of the easy "nation" life (longed for, in a stylized variation, by Marie Antoinette) and increasingly valued for its decorative value. Discovering themselves partying rather than plowing, these flower kids would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to signify their connection to nature.