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 might illustrate status and achievement (see Olympic olive wreaths). The language of flowersand herbs was widely known, 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 became a romantic indication of the simple "nation" life (longed for, in an elegant version, check my blog by Marie Antoinette) and significantly appreciated for its ornamental value. While bride-to-bes continued the ceremonial customs of flower-wearing, it was the earth-mother hippies who have most affected my review here the accessory's present 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 with burnished coronets and cast-metal petals-- and unleashing a fresh wave of flower mania among the style flock at the same time. 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 excellent symbolic meaning. With increasing industrialization, the flower crown ended up being a romantic sign of the basic "country" life (longed for, in an elegant version, by Marie Antoinette) and progressively 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.