A sketch of Hillary Alger’s floral couture gown for Johnny’s Selected Seeds in celebration of American Flowers Week 2021. Photo by Kristen Earley, Johnny’s Selected Seeds
The Slow Flowers Society’s seventh annual American Flowers Week, June 28 through July 4, 2021, has captured our imaginations with floral couture created by local flower farmers and sustainability-minded florists across the country.
“By presenting flowers as fashion, photographed with editorial styling to tell a story,” says Debra Prinzing, creator of Slow Flowers as well as American Flowers Week, “(this) campaign shines a light on the talented growers and designers who are part of the Slow Flowers Movement.
“Moreover, it changes what we think of flowers. No longer just a perishable item to capture a sentiment in time, perhaps the flowers, foliage, foraged botanicals, and natural elements you see … will shift and expand your thinking. With flowers transformed as art or sculpture, as fashion and beauty, as a symbol of the human desire to connect with nature, there is much more to each bloom than one might imagine.”
Here, we share our favorite looks created for the event. You can see all 12 botanical creations and read the stories behind them in a special, free digital issue of Slow Flowers Journal. To learn more, visit americanflowersweek.com and follow #Americanflowersweek on social media to see posts from across the American flower community involved in every facet of the industry, from seed to bouquet.
Created from Maine-grown annual flowers and foliages and set in a dreamy field of blooms, this zinnia-bedecked look brings one word to our lips—goddess.
Credits
- Designer: Hillary Alger, Johnny’s Selected Seeds
- ModelHair/Makeup: Joy Longfellow, Johnny’s Selected Seeds
- Photography: Kristen Earley, Johnny’s Selected Seeds
- Location: Johnny’s Trial Gardens, Winslow, Maine
A 1950s Christian Dior–inspired full skirt of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, pansies, hellebores, and bougainvillea is an absolute dream.
Credits
- Concept/Floral Design: Jennifer Reed, Jennifer Designs
- Collaborating Farm: Jig-Bee Flower Farm, Kensington, Pennsylvania
- Bougainvillea Plants: Platt’s Farm Market, Clarksboro, New Jersey
- Model: Corey Radar
- Hair/Makeup: Jessica Saint Beauty
- Photographer: Haley Richter
- Location: 660 Collective, Norristown, Pennsylvania
- Garden Accessories: Terrain
We are in hellebore heaven with this avant-garde look!
Credits
- Designer: Carolyn Kulb, Folk Art Flowers
- Production support: Pamela Youngsman, PoppyStarts
- Model: Tasia Baldwin
- Hair/Makeup: DeLeana Guerrero, Luxe Artistry Seattle
- Photography: Missy Palacol, Missy Palacol Photography
- Location: Hyak Sno-Park, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
Wisconsin-grown native perennials, grasses, annuals, and fruiting berries adorn a dress with an attached cape in the form of a dragonfly. With a spin, it takes flight.
Credits
- Lead designer/flower farmer: Erin Schneider, Hilltop Community Farm
- Design assistance: Diane Mikonowicz, Rob McClure
- Seamstress: Linda Gillen
- Model: Aimee Ziegahn
- Photographer: Patricia Espedal, Treasure People Photography
- Location: Hilltop Community Farm, La Valle, Wisconsin
A birch bark bodice skirted with a cascade of golden autumn leaves transports us to a woodland fairytale in central New Hampshire.
Credits
- Designer: April Holmes, April Showers Flowers
- Seamstress/Model/Hair/Makeup: Winter Morrissey
- Photography: Jay Curtis
- Location: Candia, New Hampshire
We had to show you a closer look. The detail in the skirt is swoon-worthy.
Credits
- Designer: April Holmes, April Showers Flowers
- Seamstress/Model/Hair/Makeup: Winter Morrissey
- Photography: Jay Curtis
- Location: Candia, New Hampshire
A flattering silhouette for everyday wear meets lush California-grown lilacs from Kilcoyne Lilac Farm.
- Designer: Margaret Lloyd, Margaret Joan Florals
- Model/Hair/Makeup: Jocelyn Kaylene
- Photography: Lerina Winter, Lerina Winter Photography; Danny Miles, Danny Miles Photography
- Location: Kilcoyne Lilac Farm, Acton, California
In L.A., a regal gown combines local love for the Lakers with seasonal California-grown flowers in team colors with red accents.
- Flower Growers: CamFlor Inc., Ocean Breeze Farms, and Tutuli Flower Farms
- Flower Procurement: Yoni Levenbach, Flowers Without Borders
- Design concept: Talia Boone, Postal Petals
- Production and engineering design: Kit Wertz and Casey Schwartz, Flower Duet
- Flower Duet production team: Suhair Alnabulsi and Mandy Hughes
- Model: Talia Boone
- Hair: Brandy Rice
- Makeup: Maria Castro
- Stylist: James Carroll
- Photographer: Randy Schwartz
- Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Perfect for dressing up a simple crewneck tee or little black dress, this intricate collar boasts botanicals from Washington, Oregon, and California.
Credits
- Creative Concept/Direction: Tammy Myers, LORA Bloom
- Model/Hair/Makeup: Riva Juarez
- Photography: Missy Palacol, Missy Palacol Photography
- Collaborating Slow Flowers Society florists: Tammy Myers; Anne Bradfield, Analog Floral; Maura Whalen, Casablanca Floral; Sharlet Driggs, Sharlet Floral; Lori Poliski, Flori
- Other florists: Sophie Strongman, The Old Soul Flower Co.; Kristal Hancock, Sublime Stems
- Location: University of Washington Campus, Seattle, Washington
By Terri Robertson
