Gardening and fashion in harmony
The theme of the Harrogate Spring Flower Show this year was HortCouture, celebrating style in the home, the garden and the wardrobe. Award-winning New Zealand costumier and artist Jenny Gillies combines her love of gardens to create amazing floral gowns. Read my review of the show and my post on show gardens.
HortCouture was Jenny’s first exhibition outside Australasia. A former microbiologist, Jenny started making costumes 20 years ago. A sunflower hat she created for the races was spotted, and she received commissions for more. She produced costumes for theatre, film, and opera, and has won many awards for her wearable art.
Her work has been featured at:
- The Royal Adelaide Show in Australia
- The World of Wearable Art Awards and
- The Ellerslie International Flower Show in New Zealand.
The clothes are usually on display at Christchurch Botanical Gardens to mark the reopening of the historic Tea Kiosk following the earthquakes of 2011. It takes Jenny up to three months to complete a costume, some of which require more than 70 metres of fabric.
HortCouture – The Green Room
This innovative display turned the concept of a living space inside out, creating furniture and furnishings from flowers and plant material. Even the pattern on the walls is made from live blooms! Each element used a variety of natural materials, should you ever want to plant your own sofa…
Floral Pavilion: A flair for fashion
This year’s large-scale floral art displays focused on four of the world’s most famous houses of fashion – Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Versace and Vivienne Westwood.
The show hosted Britain’s biggest exhibition of floral art, and teams from four National Association of Floral Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) areas created their interpretations of the work of each designer. Floristry colleges from across the country conjured up their unique takes on a floral bonnet – using real cars.
For tickets for the latest flower show, visit www.flowershow.org.uk.
