The Best Flower Crowns of All Time

Few devices have excited such commentary, for and against, than the flower crown, so trendy of late amongst the neo-hippie festival crowd. Regardless of detractors, these decorative headpieces, whose history in folklore and art can be traced back to ancient civilizations, show no indications of fading from favor.



It's a look that has roots. In agrarian societies, connected to the land and the seasons, flower crowns had terrific symbolic meaning. Used for practical and ritualistic factors, 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 ideas," says Ophelia in Hamlet.) Loaded with significance, floral headdresses were woven into the sartorial and social traditions of locations as far-off as Russia and Hawaii.



With increasing industrialization, the flower crown became a romantic indication of the easy "nation" life (longed for, in an elegant version, 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 the accessory's existing incarnation. Discovering themselves partying rather than raking, these flower children would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to symbolize their connection to nature.



In still more recent 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 unleashing 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, click site the flower crown became a romantic sign of the basic "country" life (longed for, in an elegant version, by this page Marie Antoinette) and significantly appreciated for its ornamental value. Discovering themselves partying rather than plowing, these flower children would truss their slept-in hair with wildflowers to symbolize their connection to nature.