Our Sunday floral story : How daffodils starred as Met Gala showstoppers
Just loving how narcissi told the story of the starry fashion night.
Always a flower fashion magpie, I had actually become very disillusioned with the Met Gala of previous years due to the lack of care in style, floral sustainability and theme. But I do think that this year, Met Gala 2025 will be remembered for it's thoughtful theme "Superfine:Tailoring Black Style", couture level tailoring and bold attendee looks and also for a humble flower that transformed the entire event - the daffodil!
I hope that you enjoy my little synopsis of how this simple Spring bloom transformed and starred in the biggest showstopper fashion floral event of the year. RuthX
THE MET GALA 2025 - HOW NARCISSI TOLD THE STORY OF THE NIGHT
As a lover of looking at anything that mashes up fashion spaces & florals, yes the Met Gala theme "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” provided many jawdroppers of dressups some good, some not but for me, I loved that nature stole the show & upstaged each outfit in every photograph I saw.
Firstly, let's discuss the carpet, yes the carpet, that inspired the use of thousands of daffodils to dress the biggest fashion event of the year. A renowned American artist with Bermudan roots, Cy Gavin, enamoured by the fields of early Spring daffodils near his upstate New York studio painted 'Untitled (Sky).
He played with the flower head face directions to conjure up a starlit nightsky of narcissi blooms. This painting was then projected onto the ceiling of the Temple of Dendur during the Met Gala dinner (oh to be a fly on the wall there that evening!)
Gavin, fascinated by the daffodil's symbolism of new beginnings and change, felt that this flower bulb echoed the dual role of the Met Gala to usher in tomorrows trends whilst honouring the craftmanship of the past. He also mentions in a Vogue conversation, that the botanical name of Narcissus carries deeper relevance.
"It draws its name from Greek mythology. Narcissus was a youth so enamored with his own reflection that he wasted away by a pool, his beauty eternally preserved only in the flower that sprang from his demise. This tale of self-obsession and the perils of vanity takes on new meaning at the Met Gala, an event centered on fashion’s own reflection of society and identity. By carpeting the gala in this flower, Gavin invited guests to consider the dual nature of reflection—both literal and metaphorical—in an environment where image and authenticity are perpetually in dialogue." - Vogue
A midnight blue carpet dappled with golden daffodils unspooled down the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for all to delicate step up upon. This sustainably crafted & biodegradeable carpet made by Keralan artisans Neytt by Extraweave was woven from Madagascan ethically sourced sisal fibres and echoed the Gala theme values of heritage, elegance and subversion.
The daffodil, steeped in myth and springtime promise, reminded attendees that fashion, at its core, is an art of storytelling—one that can begin with the simplest element of the natural world. As attendees arrived to pose in their preened states, proud daffodils stood sentry as backgrounds for everyone to flamboyantly stand in front of.
Then, it was upto Tony-nominated set designer Derek McLane & floral artist Raul Avila to reinterpret the painting & carpet & create the blooming Gala set of narcissi. Since last July, both creatives met Anna Wintour weekly to ensure that no detail was left undressed and also because they would have had to work with many European daffodil bulb growers to ensure that they would have enough stems to make their stunning floral displays...Hmmm, perhaps they are the reason so few narcissi bulbs were available this year in Europe!
“The design in the Great Hall is made of narcissus flowers rising out of a central well, rising into the sky to turn into night stars and descending again onto two reflecting pools,” he says. It uses more than 7,000 suspended flowers, which were all put together by event planner Raúl Àvila. “It’s spectacular,” Àvila says of this year’s design.
Onwards from this narcissi scented sensation, guests proceeded into dinner through dressed pillars in hanging garden of Babylon style, the evening's colour palette focused on rich deep ochres, bordeaux, cobalt & berry with tulips and late Spring blooms.
These bloom displays drooped, formed and curved along tables layered with settings by Maison de Carine. They wanted to to echo the Black dandyism theme. Yes, apparently the attendees eat and their Creole infused menu was created by James Beard Award winning chef, Kwame Onwuachi of critically acclaimed New York restaurant Tatiana.
During the dinner in the Temple of Dendur, Gavin’s painting “Untitled (Sky)”—featuring multiple angles of the Narcissus bloom reminiscent of celestial bodies—was projected onto the temple’s vaulted ceiling. The projections created a surreal, floating garden overhead, enveloping guests in a dreamscape that blurred the line between earthly flora and the cosmos. This immersive installation not only highlighted Gavin’s multidisciplinary talents but also underscored the gala’s embrace of art as an experiential, communal act. - Couponeras.com
As guests departed after such an evening of stunning tailoring & a wonderful museum setting, the surrounding daffodils on their stairs descent reminded them that fashion & flowers are part of the storytelling arts. Such a simple bulb bloom as a medium can give the message that Spring promises newness and change.
Beyond the fashion frenzy on this grand world voyeuristic stage too, it is important to remember that this Gala raised $31 million in funding for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute. How wonderful that daffodils can help a much needed dedication to the Arts considering the current state of the United Stated economic climate right now! X