The Finest Flower Crowns of All Time

Couple of accessories 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 a look that has roots. In agrarian societies, connected to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had great symbolic significance. Worn for useful and ritualistic reasons, they could 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, floral headdresses were woven into the sartorial and social traditions of locations as distant as Russia and Hawaii.



With increasing industrialization, the flower crown navigate to this website became a romantic indication of the simple "nation" life (longed for, in an elegant version, by Marie Antoinette) and flower crowns significantly 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 symbolize their connection to nature.



In still more current 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 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 societies, connected to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had great symbolic significance. With increasing industrialization, the flower crown became a romantic indication of the simple "country" life (longed for, in an elegant version, by Marie Antoinette) and significantly appreciated for its ornamental value. Discovering themselves partying rather than raking, these flower children would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to symbolize their connection to nature.