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
A Stunning Holiday Party in Connecticut
Before the New Year, In Bloom New York traveled north of the city to arrange flowers for a special holiday party at a private home. Our designers tailored the arrangements to suit the interior décor while maintaining a holiday feel.
The main hallway boasted two large arrangements combining flowering quince branches, naked seeded eucalyptus, white garden roses, white amaryllis, white hydrangea as well as mini green hydrangea.
Parker Voss – one of our designers – between the main hall and dining room arrangements.
The dining room centerpiece incorporated similar elements to the hallway arrangements but with amnesia roses for soft color.
The four niches in the library became the perfect display area for four very artful arrangements of red amarayllis and dried cecropia leaves. The result appeared both substantial and sculptural.
Instead of a traditional garland for the mantel, we chose a simple yet impactful pairing of red, white and green arrangements using amaryllis and anemones in leaf-wrapped containers.
The simplest arrangment such as this fishbowl with amnesia roses gave finishing touches to the upstairs landing/coat-check area.
Fresh cut greens like those added to these jardiniers bring any room to life. We also added Spanish moss to the wrought iron chandeliers wrapped in grape vines.
Thank you to everyone for all the compliments on our interpretation and display of holiday florals for a wonderful private party!
-Parker Voss
Carmine’s “Old-Fashioned” Holiday Décor
In classic holiday fashion, In Bloom brought out the reds and the greens to decorate Carmine’s Restaurant located in NYC’s Theatre District for another holiday season. Each December the legendary family style Italian restaurant dresses up in traditional holiday garb to reflect their “old fashioned” atmosphere and service. The style preferred by the restaurant called for an abundance of green garlands, white lights and red ribbons.
-Parker Voss
Holiday Transformation of a Chic Soho Residence, 2010
Now that the holiday season is fully upon us, we wanted to give you a taste of In Bloom New York’s own favorite holiday décor for Winter 2010. First in line is the transformation of chic Soho apartment we decorated from corner to cornice in colors, textures and combinations we find unexpected yet steadily in line with the holiday spirit.
The grand loft-style apartment combines living, bar, kitchen and dining areas into a single space. As such, our designers tailored every installation to its individual environment, giving special effects to each while seamlessly combining the various designs into a cohesive whole.
The display on the main entrance table featured an antiqued urn spilling over with red grapes, fresh pomegranates and freeze-dried red & black roses. As the first look of the party, the feeling was festive without making a blatant holiday statement.
Looking ahead to the centrally located bar, guests approached a lit wreath embellished with freeze-dried roses, dried pomegranates & lotus pods, pheasant feathers and eucalyptus. The richly decorated wreath hung as an appropriate alternative to the standard holiday tree.
The environment immediately to the right of the bar became the DJ both whose set-up we framed with a snaking, partially-gilded magnolia leaf garland and fresh red roses. The asymmetrical line of the garland moved the eye along and around the impressive cabinets de curiosités and down towards the decadent food station.
The food station became another focal point looking down the length of the room past the bar and DJ booth -- the grand statement being a 4 foot tall arrangement of rose hips, ruby red roses, tall ilex berries & red dogwood branches in a sterling silver bowl. We served up mixed florals in smaller silver containers combining magnolia leaves, purple & red anemones, hot pink peonies and dried pomegranates. A twisting, handmade white pine & redwood branch garland completed the table design.
Complimentary arrangements for the kitchen combined elements from the table such as redwood branches, purple & red anemones, hot pink peonies and ruby red roses.
In an area nearest the kitchen and entrance, we draped a life-size Grecian marble figure with gilded laurel & holly strung with ruby, black, and two-toned red roses. The result not only embraced but transcended the holiday spirit, allowing the owner the choice of keeping the garland on display for as long as desired.
Reaching far across the space to where guests could lounge, the seating area incorporated timeless and seasonal elements such as red poinsettias and a mantelpiece garland. Instead of obscuring the fireplace with florals we sought to accentuate its design elements by wrapping the columns with more white pine & redwood branch garland. The mantel's cornice of magnolia branches, red dyed eucalyptus, dried pomegranates, lotus pods and hundreds of freeze dried rose came together by the hands-on efforts of Eric, Roshy and Parker. We added glittered birds with exotic plumes as the finishing touches.
And finally, exotic orchids with red dogwood branches paired nicely with ilex bunches in the guest bathroom.
-Parker Voss
Winter Holiday Party at Celsius, Bryant Park
In Bloom kicked off the holiday season with a string of events at one of our favorite venues for winter holiday parties, Celsius at Bryant Park. We dressed up this ‘glass house’-style restaurant, bar and event space – an ideal winter wonderland – for a festive and memorable client appreciation party on December 2, a date which coincided with the tree lighting at the Pond at Bryant Park.
In order to transform the pop-up venue for our client, we remodeled the environment by using floral and winter branch arrangements, renting furniture, custom ordering monogrammed pillows, arranging for gobo lighting, as well as staging an ice sculpture showcasing the exact company logo.
Plant partitions, which normally demarcate the open upstairs area with views of the big tree and skating rink, became attractive dividers between the lounge and cocktail areas. We draped the partitions in custom-cut white linens with mirrored surfaces on top of which we placed white manzanita branch structures with hanging mercury glass votive candles.
In addition to the larger installations and standing birch branch arrangements, the table arrangements incorporated more branches than straight florals, contributing to the “winter woodsy” effect imagined by the client. The design included white birch branches and white-dipped thistles in glass cylinders with realistic wet “snow.” The smaller arrangements for the seven cocktail tables evoked snowflake clusters of the same white thistles in metallic towers.
For the bar, we delivered an orchid trio: the largest arrangement being white birch branches with white cymbidiums in a birch-wrapped container, the next a submerged phalaenopsis with pale river rocks, and finally a bunch of spraying dendrobium orchids.
We were just as pleased as the client with the overall transformation and thank everyone for the rave reviews!
-Parker Voss
Dolce & Gabbana Holiday Window Display 2010
Since late November, In Bloom has been decking the halls with florals at Dolce & Gabbana’s Madison Avenue location. Incorporating live flowers and fruits, the current display features a traditional Sicilian tablescape featuring the Italian fashion house’s own antiques, linens and most importantly - their impeccably tailored clothing. Our floral designers and crew faithfully executed their own design whose aesthetic this season reflected the decadency of a Sicilian dessert table – wine goblets and pastries included.
The garland consisted of fifteen feet of gilded holly and laurel garland carefully draped to reveal the embroidered D&G insignia in lace. Fresh clementines and black-tipped wheat topped off the draping. For the tabletop, the design asked for scattered mounds of whole walnuts, hazelnuts and pecans between collections of fresh pomegranates, lemons and oranges. Red and green grape clusters brimmed over an antique ormolu container at the same level as trays of marzipan fruits, candied cherries, cannolis and other favorite Sicilian delights.
The antique, predominately green glassware spouted loosely arranged ruby red and black magic roses. The varying shapes and heights of each container provided added interest to the grouping of a single type of flower. Overall, the display turned out to be a delicious mouthful for the eye, and we were thankful to be part of the taste-making.
-Parker Voss
Grey Goose Installation at the VH1 Save the Music Gala 2010
When asked to arrange a floral display to showcase the Grey Goose product at the cocktail party for VH1’s Save the Music Gala, we at In Bloom immediately started brainstorming what installation would embody the perfect marriage between the best-quality flowers and premium vodka. We decided that a combination of phaleanopsis and cymbidium orchids combined with whole lemons and lemon leaves would provide the best match to our liquor of choice.
Sponsored by Grey Goose at the New York Museum of Finance, the cocktail party showcased the classic and citron Grey Goose varieties. In the largest glass container, curly willow branches reached tall above the table while white phalaenopsis orchids spilled downward towards the martini arrangements.
The mix of the signature bottles with larger-than-life martini glasses was made beautiful by the use of whole lemons and lemon leaves. The staggered heights of all the containers as well as the perched magnum and citron bottles added a dynamic yet balanced feel to the overall tablescape.
We were happy to introduce flowers as a way to showcase and promote a product that could just as easily have stood on its own. Thank you to Grey Goose and to the VH1 Save the Music Gala for including us in a very memorable evening.
-Parker Voss
Biz Bash EXPO & Awards
Last Wednesday marked the annual Biz Bash EXPO & Awards at the Javits Convention Center here in New York City. The EXPO is a nationwide trade show whose mission seeks to unite professionals in the event industry for a day of education, fresh ideas and entertainment. More than 3,000 industry-related participants gathered from around the region to see and be seen by anyone from event planners & florists to gourmet caterers & caviar importers. Prior to the day, we were honored by Biz Bash to be nominated for our event design for Campari's 150th Anniversary for Best Overall Event Decor (Budget under $50k).
In Bloom's station at the EXPO engendered a dramatic yet approachable feel. Our designers hand-made a sensitively designed display of wisteria vines and a variety of orchids within the 10' x 10' booth space. By arching the vines over and around a flat-screen featuring images of past projects, we integrated an organic, substantial feeling into a very temporary space.
The tabletop flowers featured a fiery display of vanda and mocara orchids carefully wrapped on wisteria vines in a progression from yellow to orange to red-hued blooms. Check out Parker, our design coordinator, midway through wrapping the tabletop vines with single stems of vanda orchids to create a continuous, flowering branch.
For the backdrop we introduced cymbidium & mocara orchids with green & Spanish moss to finish off the organic effect. The more flowers and moss added, the more alive the installation became. We appreciated all of the enthusiastic responses we received from of the wonderful people we met throughout the day.
Watch Roshy, our Creative Director, discuss a bit about our booth and upcoming projects in this video.
-Parker Voss
Yoshitomo Nara’s Retrospective Opening at the Asia Society
Earlier this fall, In Bloom enjoyed the honor of collaborating with the Asia Society to dress their Park Avenue building for a very special event. For the first time, the Asia Society has devoted their entire exhibition space to a major retrospective entitled Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool, featuring the Neo-pop work of the Japanese artist. We wanted our floral and environmental designs to celebrate the curious and beautiful quality of Nara's paintings & sculpture. Our proposal for and execution of the design for the Young Patron's Cocktail Party and Patron's Dinner were rooted in the unsuspecting character of the artist's oeuvre.
Yoshitomo Nara, "Too Young to Die," 2001
Based on the exhibition's thematic overtones of slyness, rebellion and punk music, we created a delicate take on toilet paper vandalism by draping the Garden Court trees with crepe streamers.
Our initial illustrations of the effect helped to visualize the final result.
Inspired by traditional taihu rockery, our smaller arrangments for the cocktail tables consisted of driftwood with stricta airplants and coral cocscomb.
In placing the heads of multi-colored dried and fresh flowers on a wooden dough bowl, we aimed to evoke the painter's palette using tones of periwinkle, greens, oranges and yellows.
To compliment the representational, abstract nature of Nara's work, we embedded manzanita branches in Spanish moss with purple thistles, green hydrangea and teddy bear sunflowers for the bar arrangements.
The centerpieces for the Patron's Dinner combined elements from the previous displays to form a cohesive design scheme. We studded manzanita branches mainly with Yoko Ono poms to create an original take on the traditional flower centerpiece.
Check out Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool at the Asia Society going on until January 2, 2011.
Yoshitomo Nara, "The Little Star Dweller," 2006
-Parker Voss
