58f47062 515f 4821 9e9f b0d95a039a1a longstemroses2
— Collage by Ashley Peña

“Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.”

There’s a reason why this Devil Wears Prada line is quoted nearly constantly, aside from its signature Miranda Priestly acidity. There’s nothing remarkable about seeing an abundance of florals on the spring 2024 runways, as we have throughout the fashion week shows in London and New York. Hardly a collection has gone by without a floral touch—but one specific flower has managed to stand out from the rest of the bouquet. I’m talking roses, not rosettes—which have also been absolutely everywhere on the spring runways thus far—but full-on, long-stem roses, with leaves, thorns, and all.

Many brands have long considered roses a house code: think Alexander McQueen’s spring 2007 show, which saw dresses and headpieces exploding in live roses that littered the runway as the models walked; or Yves Saint Laurent’s look from his 1999 haute couture show, modeled by Laetitia Casta. Valentino also features roses throughout its collections, most recently putting both Zendaya and Rihanna in budding looks. But after all these years, it seems the rose trend has grown this season—literally. Long-stem roses, specifically, have popped up throughout the shows in both New York and London—on clothing, as accessories, and as props.

74b68b60 3a3f 4e27 8a71 d742fe083c63 gettyimages 72121636
e60701bf 5239 42fb 91ce 20e0ab41622d getty 953420018
ecbcd6ca 8a4b 43c2 bc8c 3aa43371e204 getty 1469971218
75fb7ad3 0d2a 4789 addb 279a0dbf61bd getty 1252531850

We first saw the trend taking shape at New York Fashion Week, where rose-inspired jewelry marked an evolution from the rosette choker trend that had a brief moment of popularity earlier this year. Newcomer Grace Ling presented a collection filled with her growing signature of 3D-printed metal details; one look featured a two-piece set with a metal rose connecting a bandeau and a skirt, silver thorns threatening to prick the model with every step. Metal flowers made a brief appearance at Carolina Herrera as well, in the form of brooches that decorated a black suit and a yellow jacket. Palomo Spain, too, embraced metal flowers—though in the form of jewelry, which enveloped the models’s ears and encircled their necks. Bags also got the rose treatment, rendered in leather with top-handle straps and stems that grazed the runway floor.

See also  Tuesday's Workwear Report: The Ari Striped Polka-Dot Midi Sweater Dress
88b78ca9 7a03 430d b20a 1871c9285064 ling s24 011
6f712c1a c618 4bab 8bf3 4dc6c87f73a4 gettyimages 1655059444
708d69b0 d72b 429e b216 db8ae95b661a gettyimages 1655058757
5aa994a0 1fa0 418c 86f1 ed0f77819a8d gettyimages 1678502752

While those rose renditions were edgy, at Sandy Liang—the go-to clothier for the young at heart—the flower was used for a more cutesy and nostalgic effect. Liang’s spring 2024 collection boasted sweater sets, pleated skirts, and collared jackets—mostly plain, with little to no embellishment aside from a bow here and a rosette there. Two looks near the end of the show, however, solidified Liang’s placement within the long-stem rose trend. A skirt decorated with the silk flower was followed by a dress featuring the same attachment. The stems twisted down the garments, with Liang’s signature bows featured prominently as well. Already, the styles have caught the eyes of the public, and are being recreated on TikTok—proof of the staying power behind Liang’s playful romance and the rose trend in general.

2ea947f7 f09a 466c b76f 5372637713fb sandyliang look12
— Courtesy of Sandy Liang

If the scale ranges from the kitsch and romance of Sandy Liang to the edgy sexiness of Grace Ling, David Koma’s London Fashion Week presentation falls somewhere in the middle. At his neon-hued show, roses took center stage as well: there were some rendered in crystals, and other buds silkscreened onto sheer bodysuits. The designer’s most eye-catching iteration of the flower, though, came in the form of large, neon-printed roses that were plastered onto mini dresses, jackets, and gowns. On other tulle dresses, a rose was created via embroidery, adding a more sultry, Gothic flair as the stem stretched from the model’s chest to her navel. Koma’s use of the rose seemed to represent an amalgamation of all the other designers’s: as a print, an embellishment, and yes, an accessory, in the form of arm cuffs and necklaces not unlike Palomo Spain’s. It’s enough to make one wonder whether a metal manufacturer was having a sale on the floral design.

See also  Wedding Season Is Upon Us—33 Rewearable Dresses That Are So Pretty
0d09b126 cc59 479c b08b 09ed08605f3f gettyimages 1684974394
193254a9 2187 46a3 bb08 b277a6d164c5 gettyimages 1684985056

By the time Simone Rocha’s show rolled around on September 17th, it would appear that we’d seen roses in every fashionable iteration possible. But if anyone can subvert a well-worn idea, it’s Rocha—and she did just that at her spring 2024 show, The Dress Rehearsal. Rocha twirled fabric into rosettes on tops, jackets, and dresses. But the real magic came when she literally stuffed the flowers inside sheer garments. The look seemed inspired by a ballerina who had shoved the bouquets thrown onstage during her curtain call into her dress to save for later, as a treat. Elsewhere, beaded roses drooped in the hands of models and hung from their ears in what might be the most wearable form we’ve seen so far.

63dcc9dc 4e83 4458 b492 5229b861e16d gettyimages 1687120855
f02f0ea7 080b 4e40 a29e fa1bed0c041b gettyimages 1687119646
ed22f035 c9ed 4b7f 98e8 59d40d143ce2 gettyimages 1687120875
a8a8977e 777f 414c 8058 a40abbc3ab5b gettyimages 1687126901

The rose might be a cliché, but it’s popular for a reason—there’s a beauty to the petals, the colors, the themes it represents. By displaying roses with thorns, or roses rendered in metal (used as structural pieces instead of something to be admired passively), the designers of New York and London are taking this familiar object and changing the way we view it. Of course, some were likely simply inspired by the well-earned clichés, and used the flower to evoke themes of romance and lust. If these past few weeks have proved anything, it’s the power that a flower can have over the collective unconscious of the creative set. Clearly, love was in the air in London and New York—Milan and Paris, your move.

Source link