A Verdant Bouquet for Bridal Guide Magazine
Green – as it is the leading color of all things floral (and evermore present in light of the growing environmentalism trend) – inspires us on a daily basis. So, when Bridal Guide magazine asked us last summer to design a bold, single-hue bouquet around a color of our choice we knew immediately that it would be the color GREEN.
Our inspiration for this particular combination arose from the local landscape on Long Island last summer where we were able to pick fresh sedum and succulents. Green applied to our love of adding fresh herbs (like mint) to arrangements for bolder color, texture and fragrance. We mixed the structured succulents with the more organic shapes found in the antique green hydrangea, garden roses, parrot tulips and variegated leaves.
Finally, we hand-wrapped natural cord around the stems to complete the look – perfect for a city bride at her garden wedding. Not only were we were lucky to contribute flowers to our go-to bridal magazine, our verdant bouquet landed on the cover page of the spread. Check it out in the current issue of Bridal Guide (January/February 2011) for a closer look!
-Parker Voss
Rouge Arrangements
A week before Valentine’s Day, In Bloom executed the centerpieces for an annual hospital fundraiser held by The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center here in New York City. Hosted at Rouge Tomate and sponsored by the fashion brand Milly, the luncheon featured an upstairs area where guests enjoyed a showcase of the Milly collection in addition to a downstairs seated lunch for 160 people including an honorary Pediatric specialist.
The florals provided for the upstairs “World of Milly” made use of the brand’s signature pink using roses, spray roses, and ranunculus.
The design for the banquet table arrangements evolved from an anemone motif found in a fabric sample from the season’s collection. The final red arrangements incorporated open roses, spray roses, hypericum berries, alstromeria and anemones in black glass cubes.
The overall tablescape combined not only well with the Milly aesthetic but also with the restaurant interior.
We very much enjoyed the planning process for this special event, and give our thanks to the MSKCC event chairs & coordinators for their thoughtful compliments.
-Parker
Long Live McQueen!
Last Friday marked the 2-year anniversary of the death of British fashion genius Alexander McQueen. Though the spirit of his creation has been carried on with the creative direction of Sarah Burton, we appreciate looking back to the designer’s original designs finding parallel between feminine beauty and flowers.
McQueen's genius lies in his ability to dress a woman in an entire English rose garden or condense a wild lily patch into a single pair of high heels. In expressing a woman’s allure through the juxtaposition of female strength and sensuality with fragility, McQueen proves that the medium can be the message -- in this case, it is flowers. While McQueen's designs may seem to blur the line between art and fashion, his ready-to-wear garments are also certainly wearable and the patterns always beautiful (as seen in this anemone-inspired mini dress).
Looking beyond pattern, McQueen often streamlined floral silhouettes for his couture gowns in a much less literal interpretation of flowers.
What McQueen appears to have done is not only borrow the lines of the fluted tulip but also reinterpret them. In some sense, he beautifies what is already beautiful.
Certain couture ensembles such as this billowy, black silk chiffon gown even seem to evoke rare blooms (such as the bat orchid) perhaps without the designer's own intention...
... herein lies McQueen's genius and our greatest appreciation for a designer who can veritably transform flowers into dresses, and women into flowers.
Long Live McQueen! May his designs remain forever in bloom...
-Parker Voss
Roses, Roses, Roses
On the coldest winter days we start to feel a little extra lucky for working among fresh flowers on a daily basis. On afternoons when the inside of our refrigerator feels warmer than the weather outside, I can’t complain about arranging beautiful blooms for hours on end. I always enjoy working with roses -- not only since it’s almost Valentine’s Day -- but also because of their classical beauty and versatility. While some may try to deny their appeal or argue their overuse, I’m feeling assured to see their (quite impressive) presence around the city, especially now on Park Avenue thanks to artist Will Ryman’s new installation.
What has the artist done but brighten another New York winter by planting ten blocks with 38 super-sized rose sculptures? I’ve been more than deligthed to see a resurfacing trend catching on as of late last year with Isa Genzken's Rose II replacing Ugo Rondinone's love-it-or-hate-it “Hell Yes” sculpture on the New Museum’s facade, or even seen at the Golden Globes with the giant, sequence rose blooming on Natalie Portman’s gown by Viktor & Rolf.
Yes, I do adore roses in all their colors, sizes, shapes, and mediums, but I also have a few favorites -- the one at the moment being the “sweetness rose” whose white petals transition into a vibrant pink at the edges.
At the end of January we arranged the centerpieces for a beautiful private party held at the Doubles Club at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel on 5th Ave using this special variety. The design incorporated the sweetness rose along with white garden roses and mix of blush peonies, white hydrangea, white lisianthus, white ranunculus, and dusty miller.
Stunning in their own right, the arrangements beamed in the signature red clubroom with pink linens.
In case you enjoyed these arrangements, you are welcome to participate in our current Valentine’s Day promotion on Gilt City where you may pick up a bunch of classic red roses in a simple ball jar just in time for the holiday: http://www.giltcity.com/newyork/inbloom ...
...Meanwhile, happy V-day and don’t forget to check out the gigantic roses on Park Ave if you’re in New York before May 31!
-Parker Voss
