The Very Best Flower Crowns of Perpetuity

Couple of 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, reveal 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 excellent symbolic meaning. Worn for useful and ceremonial factors, they could highlight 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 destinations as remote as Russia and Hawaii.



With increasing industrialization, the flower crown became a romantic indication of the simple "nation" life (longed for, in an elegant version, by Marie Antoinette) and progressively appreciated for its ornamental value. While bride-to-bes continued the ceremonial traditions of flower-wearing, it was the earth-mother hippies who have actually most influenced the device's current version. 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 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 unleashing a fresh wave of flower mania among the fashion flock while doing so. In honor of the summer season solstice, an inspiring appearance back at flower crowns throughout history.





In agrarian societies, tied to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had flower crowns terrific 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 ornamental value. Discovering themselves partying rather than plowing, these flower kids would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to symbolize their connection to nature.