The earth laughs in flowers’’ – so wrote the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, way back in the mid-20th century. Now, in the second decade of the 21st century, the designer fraternity all over the world seems to have taken this statement to heart. Every fashion week – Paris, New York, London, Pakistan, Mumbai, Delhi - and every design house seems to have flowers on their mind.
You name them and the designer has had models sashaying down the ramp with ‘flowery’ dresses. On the domestic front, we had Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Arora, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Tarun Tahiliani, Aneeth Arora, Gauri and Nainika, Debarun Mukherjee and others who showcased at the two recently held major fashion weeks in the capital and also in Mumbai. In the international arena, we have design houses like Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Dolce and Gabbana, Prada and several others
offering bouquets of flowers to their highbrow clients. And flaunting the flowers are celebrities like Bipasha Basu, Anushka Sharma, Shabana Azmi, Nimrat Kaur, Kajol, Kalki Koechlin, Huma Qureshi and many others in the Hollywood brigade as well.
On the ramp were hand, mosaic, block-printed tulips, orchids, lilacs, roses, lotus, chrysanthemums, sunflowers and even Warhol-like daisy-print decorations along with whatever other flowers that can be copied from the bounty of nature. If the designers were not very happy with printed flowers, they opted for embroidery, quilted, mirror and appliqué works. Some of them even introduced large, 3D appliqué flowers which made short dresses, gowns and saris give the impression that they were real gardens with the flowers ready to be plucked!
Actresses like Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor, too, were seen flaunting gigantic 3-D floral appliqué worked dresses and gowns. As Bengaluru-based designer Deepika Govind says, “Floral motifs are both, vintage, yet fresh every time you reinterpret them.
Perhaps it is the romance or allure of happy times that is so attractive of floral motifs.’’
Making the moodFloral prints are decidedly romantic. This summer, we seem to be in a garden state of mind with lush and colourful trends. The floral trends come in feisty colours or demure pales and they mix well with neutral pieces and of course, look fabulous on all occasions. They are equally great when layered with other patterns. Hence, a lot of designers are showcasing florals as a major part of their collections.
Agreeing with the attraction of floral prints Kolkata-based designer Debarun Mukherjee says, “Floral prints are eternal and evergreen. It has been there since the beginning of clothing. Flowers are part of nature, which we can see in our day-to-day life. So it’s but a natural instinct for us to get inspired by one of the most beautiful creations of nature. We have and always will use floral motifs in fashion. It is a classic take on style.”
The best part is that flowers look great in whatever fabric you are comfortable with. Cotton, linen, mulmul, silk, satin, chiffon, georgette, lace and every other fabric looks alluring with flowers on it. The added advantage of settling with floral is their bright colours and striking print, which brings out the best in people. And there is no end to the choice of such dresses – shorts, denims, palazzos, simple pants, gowns, maxi dresses, frocks, jumpsuits, simple tops, saris, kameez, patiala suits – each of them looks graceful with flowery prints.
Emphasising the attraction of flowers, Delhi-based designer duo Rimple and Harpreet Narula say, “A perennial favourite, florals have a timeless romantic appeal and are re-imagined as well as reinvented season after season. They are synonymous with spring, but work equally well for winters as well. If you do not want to go head to toe with them, try floral separates paired with solid hues or layer them with geometric prints for an interesting effect.’’
Another plus point of floral designs is that they suit all ages, cultures and sizes. From royalty to pedestrians, everyone can wear floral prints and look lively and happy. But there are some things which have to be taken care of so that you don’t make any fashion faux pas. For example, a short person should avoid big motif prints and horizontal lines. If you are on the plumper side, you should go for small prints on the waist area and may be a little bigger print on the chest and hip areas.
“Florals work very well for all ages. But one should be careful when it comes to silhouettes and colours that are age appropriate. Bright poppy florals work well for the twenties to mid-thirties, while warmer more muted ones work well for those older. Larger frames and pear-shaped bodies should opt for smaller to medium-sized prints in dark tones to create a leaner visual look. Women with petite frames can also go for smaller prints as they will not overwhelm the frame. Tall or hourglass figures can go for placement prints and bold graphic ones,” suggest Rimple and Harpreet.
There’s another added advantage: these prints can be worn for any occasion and at any time of the day. Be it a lunch appointment, dinner date, formal function or even, maybe a
tedious office affair. Floral designs will add some intrigue as well as help keep you in high spirits. So, this summer, ladies, why not wrap yourself in those sassy, virtual petals?