Love your Mum Day approaches, fashion flower & thistle stories, all we made this week & more...
Love all the kinds of Mums in your lives soon on March 10th, a Nature Studies dive into 3 favourite designers & their floral stories from this year’s February shows, events we loved to make & of course in our Grás, a Cig Harvey floral anthology, daffodils, a Superfolk seaweed story and more…
& OUR SIOPA STORIES
- all the latest in news & grooves from our flower store in Cornelscourt
Happy Mother's Day 2024
Mother’s Day is on Sunday the 10th of March - which is pretty close dear friends…
SO…
Don’t forget, we are open all that weekend but you know us, we love a pre-order - HINT…HINT!
And we have gorgeous cards too, new candles from Field Apothecary & wait until you see the prettiest plants ever about to arrive sa siopa…
And here’s the how to if you need to order something lovely for collection or delivery for the many types of Mums in your lives :
FIND US - Appassionata Flowers, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, D18C7W7
CALL US - 01 6112444
EMAIL US - orders@appassionata.ie
ORDER ONLINE HERE … ON THE MAIN DUNNES STORES SITE
*WE ARE NOW ON THE MAIN DUNNES STORES CORNELSCOURT WEBSITE TOO
NATURE STUDIES : BLÁTHANNA X FASHION WEEK FLORAL STORIES WITH A DIFFERENCE
As the February Fashion weeks finish this week, here’s a dive into 3 x floral stories from favourite designers who brought their floral essences to wonder us all through their work this season.
First up was Loro Piana at Milan Fashion Week - Since its founding 100 years ago, the high-end Italian house has come a long way, transformed from a 1920s wool merchant to an LVMH-owned luxury giant at the centre of the 'quiet luxury' storm. However, the brand wanted to mark it's 100th year by diving into heritage and family values ...
Their Autumn/Winter 2024 collection is a story of tradition and innovation showcasing materials. The brand’s “fiori di cardo” flower symbol — representing the thistle used historically as a tool to raise and brush cashmere in its factory — was turned into golden pins that closed jacket collars. The styling tip nodded to the way house founder Sergio Loro Piana used to store jackets in his wardrobe, with the lapels closed and pinned to maintain the softness of the fold.
Beyond the runway, Loro Piana took over 2 x on-street locations around Milan. They created an immersive set of installations to bring both attendees & Milanese folk on a journey through time in a century of Loro Piana to celebrate the iconic thistle & the historical 'fiori di cardo' machine equipped with dried thistle flowers used to brush & finish cashmere.. The first, a newstand & second, a flower kiosk, were both given a lush brown makeover where small bouquets of thistles were distributed to passing folk.
It was such a considered idea to link the brand celebration of the iconic thistle / 'fiori di cardo' & to enrich the public appreciation of the Loro Piana aesthetic and dedication to the artistry behind textile manufacturing.
And check out Ruby Mary Lennox, one of our favourite floral artists as she has created wonderful installations for Loro Piana using their core cashmere ingredients.
RUBY MARY LENNOX X LORO PIANA HERE
As long time admirers of the collaboration between Rodarte & Joseph Free, the Autumn Winter collection shown in New York was styled in such a chiaro scuro way. At Rodarte this season, Kate and Laura Mulleavy were in a bit of an abstract mood. “We were thinking about fantasy as in a fantasy realm, about transporting in and out of something,” Laura explained on a recent zoom. “We loved the idea of having optical illusions, the idea of not knowing where something starts and something ends.” A black sequined column gown had a corded lace ruffled collar attached with illusion lace so that it seemed as if it was just floating by itself; a black gown had a series of gathered ruffles in chick yellow, ballet pink, baby blue, white, and black that floated asymmetrically from the shoulders hiding the arms and obscuring most of the body. “It’s like a butterfly about to come out of its chrysalis,” added Mulleavy, and indeed there were two sequin embellished butterflies on the bodice.
Joseph Free interpreted this gothic fairy glamour by producing still live real flower background pieces to emulate, contrast, enhance & emphasise the illusory style of the Mulleavy sisters. In fact the colour and styles remind us of aristocratic portraiture in Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer styles from the 1600's (mention National Gallery). The framed floral paintings reflected the real romantic style flower displays leaving room for each model & Rodarte creation to stand and shine in the central third of each shot.
And then our own Richard Quinn created stunning floral sets with my alma mater McQueens Flowers. Dedicated to his recently passed Dad, Quinn created a couture sensibility with his romantic floral themed collection. The curved catwalk in the 1901 Ballroom in the Andaz Hotel London was filled with backdrops of billowing blooms using hyrangeas, roses, orchids. The look and feel of flowers nodded towards the high society elegance we would have all seen in Grace Kelly inspired movies. The combination of the Bach Choir and the English Chamber Orchestra created a trance like feeling as these ethereal botanical princess type ballgown-like silhouettes with a whimsical element sashayed around the room.
Quinn said of his collection 'I wanted to celebrate my father with an ethereal and spiritual collection, along with intricate garments, he shared. He was supportive of me from the beginning and everyone who works with me knew him well, This collection is my gift to him.'
FLOWERS WE LOVED TO MAKE :
- a diary of events, bunches & happenings we made.
You are the first to see the flowers we loved to make to dress the Doctrine Skincare launch for The Publicity Loft. These crafted skincare products have a results driven approach produced with a commitment to innovation, sustainability and transparency. The event took place in Glas & was accessorised by the freshest of white early spring blooms alongside beakers & clarity to boot.
A MAKING OF … We have been living our best Nuxuriance make & do life lately between boxing spring fresh greens to launch the new Ultra range to dressing a delightful morning for Publicity Loft. It was a joy to create calming woodland garden verdures before the pink of Mother’s Day descends.
Thank you Katie, Lallie & Eunji for being amazing too. X
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BLÁTHANNA GRÁ
- a gathering of all we loved this week as we work our days amidst seasonal blooms :
IN WORDS :
Hailing from Sligo with many Hallmark dates to work through results in being very Dublin bound in winter and early Spring. Each day, I crave the Atlantic air and am literally on the N4 as soon as I get the chance. I have come to rely on Gearóid from Superfolk’s stories from where he lives in Mayo as my west of Ireland fix whilst I am busy buried in our urban world of blooms.
This month’s blog story is particularly interesting as Gearóid takes us on a journey along his local beach teaching about intertidal zones & how to forage seaweed in all it’s forms. For any of you wishing to add picking this powerful superfood to your foraging skills, this piece is so educational And you get to see an Atlantic beach walk even when you might be stuck inside.
READ The Seaweed Foragers Guides by Superfolk HERE
IN BLOOMS :
My lovely sister Yvette introduced me to Cig Harvey’s work and I have been very struck by her book ‘Eat Flowers’
‘Eat Flowers is a contemporary florilegium told through a calendar of blooms. Thirteen tipped-in 8" x 10" jewel-toned original C-prints, each accompanied by a letterpress printed vignette exploring what it is to feel through the language of flowers.’
An all woman production (yay!), Cig created her publication as a call to live when she found out her best friend Mary had terminal leukemia. As Mary faced more isolation in her treatments, Cig captured and sent Mary images full of colour and life. Together they found a way through tragedy and loss one image and message at a time.
These poignant short film stories tell it all … a sad but sweet watch with nature providing a kind of solace as it does.
SEE THE FILM STORY ABOUT CIG’S BOOK HERE
IN THE GARDEN :
One of our favourite spring flowers is the daffodil. Not only do these cheerful blooms liven up our gardens, grass areas and parks but if you post them in clay, you will enjoy early flowering before the rest of the garden starts to wake.
Bergspotter are a lovely Danish brand whose pots we stock and love. They advice that “Spring is a wet season, so for the bulbs to survive, investing in high-quality clay pots is a wise choice.”
Here’s some tips to help your daffodils along:
Since the bulbs are susceptible to waterlogged soil, it is crucial that the pots have proper drainage; if the bulbs are left in water, they risk decaying over time. The likelihood of the bulbs drowning will be decreased by planting them in a high-quality clay container. The porous nature of clay allows it to slowly absorb and release water, keeping the bulbs and roots from becoming overly wet and allowing them to breathe.
Although the clay pots naturally aid in plant drainage, it is a good idea to encourage proper drainage when planting bulbs. And it’s very simple: just fill one-fourth of the pot with drainage material to ensure excess water drains. Keep in mind to place a pottery shard over the bottom hole to prevent clogging.
Terracotta is a porous material, and evaporation of water through its pores helps the plant breathe, keeps the roots moist, and regulates the temperature.
As people who are snowed under by festive seasons, we rarely and ironically never get to plant our bulbs in time. I have taken to minding my bulbs each year and then placing them in pots usually later than we are meant to. But sure we will do anything to see narcissi and daffodils dancing in the sun.
IN LIFE : A new cake & more siopa by Colhoun Creations
Our friend Laura loves to create natural cakes with simple, earthy tones and styles. She would describe her style as modern bohemian and ‘perfectly imperfect’. Hugely passionate about using Irish seasonal and organic ingredients, Laura orders flowers from us weekly to use on her cakes and she now has opened her own store so everyone can taste her amazing creations. Find Colhoun Creations in the Blackrock Market Saturdays & Sunday 11.00-17.30.
DONT MISS LAURA’S BRILLIANT BAKING BY CONTACTING HER HERE
NATURE WALKS
- Podcasts are a comfort, an entertainment, an education & a joy. There is nothing better than being out (well not this week in the sleet) with Ella, our beagle listening to people you admire & learning something … always a great start to each day.
Amy Smilovic, founder and creative director of Tibi, doesn't fit her personal style—or her brand—in one box. This realization led Smilovic to coin the term "creative pragmatism" in her book The Creative Pragmatist. "The idea was born out of just frustration that I had had for years not being able to define my brand in one word, which seems to be the expectation in the industry," Smilovic said. As Smilovic notes, creative pragmatists have a creative eye but are grounded in practicality. "I came up with the term creative pragmatists to really describe someone who is highly creative and expressive, but they're still very pragmatic," Smilovic said. "Their feet are really rooted on the ground."
For the latest episode of Who What Wear With Hillary Kerr, Smilovic sits down with Who What Wear Editor in Chief Kat Collings to share how she landed on her signature phrase, what defines a Without Fail in your wardrobe, and more.