The Very Best Flower Crowns of Perpetuity
Few accessories have actually aroused such commentary, for and versus, than the flower crown, so stylish of late amongst the neo-hippie celebration crowd. Despite critics, these decorative headpieces, whose history in folklore and art can be traced back to ancient civilizations, show no indications 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 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, flower headdresses were woven into the social and sartorial customs of locations as distant 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 valued for its decorative 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 existing 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 recent years, the flowers have even taken a subversive turn on the runways, with Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy adorning designs flower crown with burnished coronets and cast-metal petals-- and letting loose a fresh wave of flower mania amongst the style flock while doing so. In honor of the summer season solstice, an inspiring appearance back here 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 up being a romantic indication 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.