Fashion designers have found inspiration in the garden for centuries.
The interplay between the two realms began with painting in ancient Egypt and the Chahar-bagh garden designs of Persia and India which inspired carpets. This evolved to 15th century fashion statements we find in paintings of the privileged class and has naturally continued its celebrated history with haute culture.
Weed Robes: the Mobile Garden Dress by Nicole Dextras. Nicole Dextras is an environmental artist whose artworks follow the seasons. Is there irrigation for this small container garden? photo: Nicole Dextras
Tania Dzyagileva wearing Alexander McQueen dress made of frozen flowers from the "Sarabande" Spring Collection (image: fashionbylove.com). Notice the felled and lost foliage in the background! Maybe a small cutting garden?
Garden dresses, garden shoes, garden party hats are common garden fashion costuming.
In this 1606 portrait of a 2 year old Jacobean heiress, Lettice Newdigate, her dress mirrors the knot garden in the background of the painting. Perhaps the first instance of a knot garden in english art, just as importantly it is an early celebration of the garden inspiring fashion.
Marie-Jeanne Rose Bertin was the dressmaker to Queen Marie Antoinette.
Through her elite clientele, Bertin helped elevate fashion to an art costuming the queens of France, Sweden, Spain, Portugal. Many of her rococo designs were inspired by the palace gardens at Versailles. Versailles is the grandest private estate garden.
This Valentino Dress & Garden Gate Jacket from the Spring 2013 Couture collection evokes visuals of the Italian renaissance gardens, With birds and flowers on the dress, the jacket is inspired by wrought iron gates. As the model slides across the runway one can envision a slight breeze billowing through this “garden in an outfit!”
Two years later Valentino’s pre-fall line came back to the garden.
Does the hat inspire a garden party or does the garden inspire the hat? Could this be considered a formal roof garden terrace with a view?
And because no outfit is complete without the right shoe...
Dolce Gabbana couture shoe
A lesson in botany from the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit: Fashion in an Age of Technology. This is Christopher Kane's prêt-a-porter Spring/Summer 2014 ensemble as a sweater and skirt combination.
The sweater is machine-knit ivory cashmere, appliqué of white nylon net, machine and hand embroidered with green, black and orange silk synthetic thread and yellow and opalescent sequins. photo©Todd Haiman Landscape Design 2016
The skirt is machine-sewn nude silk-synthetic organza, laser-cut yellow polyester voile appliqué, machine and hand-embroidered with green, black and orange silk-synthetic thread. photo©Todd Haiman Landscape Design 2016
Garden design inspired by fashion
And to complete the inspirational circle, here a garden pays tribute to a legacy designer. In this most charming garden entitled “Christian Before Dior”, garden designers Patricia Thirion and Janet Honour recreate the famous fashion icon's childhood retreat at the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show.
The pink and grey color scheme was a color combination favored by Dior in this small space garden design. photo©Todd Haiman Landscape Design 2016
There are so many tiny, very thoughtful details here. Of particular note is the jacket slung over the bench which adds a bit of humanity and animates the space. photo©Todd Haiman Landscape Design 2016
