Tailored drama with a botanical lapel
A dramatic departure from the traditional boutonnière or floral pocket square, this exaggerated look is Tara Folker’s modern idea of botanical menswear. “I wanted to take things to an extreme and play around with building a floral lapel,” she says. About half of the ingredients came from Tara’s Splints & Daisies garden, located northwest of Philadelphia. The Rustic Bunch, a Slow Flowers member, and Riverside Blooms also contributed design elements.
Grape hyacinths, daffodils, anemones, poppies, hellebores, and flowering forsythia, plum, and magnolia branches appear to “grow” from the left lapel of the model’s honey brown velvet jacket, extending far above his torso and head. “A smaller floral accent on the right sleeve balances that out,” Tara notes. She inserted layers of branches, stems, and blooms, which are held in place by small pieces of chicken wire stitched onto the garment to create a base mechanic. The vivid spring-blooming palette includes a cluster of bright orange flowers of the Fritillaria imperialis — creating a jolt of joy.
DESIGN + CONCEPT:
Tara Folker, Splints & Daisies
splintsanddaisies.com, @splintsanddaisies
FLOWER SOURCES:
Splints & Daisies
The Rustic Bunch, @therusticbunch
Riverside Blooms, @riversideblooms
MODEL: Kris Boston
VENUE: Splints & Daisies garden, Lancaster, Pennsylvania